Two former political workers for longtime Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan failed to attend depositions in a lawsuit alleging Madigan backed “sham candidates” in his 2016 primary election.

Madigan’s 2016 primary opponent filed a lawsuit alleging the House speaker recruited “sham” candidates in order to dilute opposition.

A federal judge has cleared the way for a lawsuit filed by a 2016 primary opponent of House Speaker Mike Madigan, which alleges discrimination by the speaker for filing “sham candidates.”