Family files wrongful death lawsuit against Clearbrook, operator of Rolling Meadows group home
The family of a disabled woman has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the operator of a group home in Rolling Meadows.
The lawsuit is being filed against Clearbrook, which operates a Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) group home and a caretaker, saying her death could have been easily avoided.
The lawsuit alleges 34-year-old Emily Kasanga choked to death on April 25, 2026, after being left unattended while eating despite a care plan requiring close supervision. Attorneys for Kasanga's family said she had a diagnosed swallowing disorder and required close supervision during meals.
"Emily was my whole life," said her mother Doreen Bartholomae. "I lived for my daughter, she was my whole life. The one thing I want to know is what happened to her. Nobody has told me what happened to her."
Clearbrook is a not-for-profit company that houses more than 8,000 children and adult who have intellectual or developmental disabilities, all across the state. Kasanga had autism and a seizure disorder and had lived at the group home for 12 years, her family said.
Her family claims only one staff member was on duty when there should have been two. They also allege staff didn't call family when Kasanga died. They said her brother was on the way to visit her at the time of her death, which was just after her 34th birthday.
The lawsuit alleges "Clearbrook and its staff knew or should have known that Emily was at risk of choking and therefore required these interventions to reduce the risk of choking…but left her alone to eat her lunch anyway."
"For 12 years the staff knew her. They knew her needs, they knew her care plan," said Margaret Battersby Black, attorney. "A plan that Clearbrook promised that they would implement, and that they were paid by the state to implement."
Clearbrook's most recent publicly available tax records from 2024 report $9.8 million in government grants, paid for by taxpayers. CBS News Chicago featured the facility a few months ago on our morning news, weeks before Kasanga died at that location.
"My family will never be the same. There's nothing that can bring her back, but we want justice for my sister," said Ashley Kasanga.
The family also said they had previously raised concerns with Clearbrook staff about Kasanga's care and had filed a complaint with the Illinois Office of the Inspector General, but their concerns were never addressed. CBS News Chicago looked into the organization's history, and found more allegations of abuse and neglect.
A performance audit by the Office of the Auditor General noted in their 2024 audit that there were 93 total claims against Clearbrook between 2021 and 2023, though specifics were not immediately available.
Clearbrook was named in another lawsuit filed just a few weeks ago, alleging 26-year-old Nicholas Austin, who has Down syndrome and autism, was participating in one of their programs when he was pushed out of a second floor window by another participant and left permanently injured.
That lawsuit said Clearbrook did not properly supervise Nicolas to prevent this from happening.
CBS News Chicago has reached out to multiple agencies responsible for overseeing Clearbrook, including the Department of Human Services and are waiting to hear back.
CBS News Chicago also reached out to Clearbrook, who said they are looking into the questions we asked.
