Judge Moves Up Trial in Krueger v. Petrak After Plaintiff’s Stage IV Cancer Diagnosis

U.S. District Judge Michael M. Mihm has moved up the trial in the civil rights lawsuit Krueger v. Petrak, according to the court docket.

At a March 11, 2026 pretrial conference, Mihm vacated the previous trial date of January 4, 2027 and set a jury trial for September 28, 2026 at 8:45 a.m. in Courtroom B of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois in Peoria.

The schedule change followed a February motion asking the court to expedite the case after plaintiff Patti Krueger was diagnosed with Stage IV osteosarcoma that has metastasized to her lungs. The motion argues that Krueger is a key witness and may be unable to attend a later trial, and asks the court to accelerate the case so it can reach a final resolution while she is still able to participate in the proceedings.

The lawsuit stems from a 2019 medical child abuse investigation that led to the removal of the couple’s three children from their parents’ custody. The children remained in foster care for more than a year before a Macon County juvenile court cleared the parents of wrongdoing and allowed them to return home in July 2020.

Several defendants opposed accelerating the trial. Attorneys for Dr. Channing Petrak argued in court filings that while they sympathized with Krueger’s diagnosis, “the evidence supporting the plaintiffs’ request is clearly insufficient.”