Steve Fanady
Coverage of Steve Fanady in the Nexus archive.
- Man's detention over contempt order unjust
Steve Fanady, a disabled options trader, has been detained for four years in Cook County Jail without a criminal conviction due to a civil contempt order from a 17-year-old divorce case. The court continues to hold him based on a 2021 stock valuation without evidence of current holdings, and he argues his detention has become punitive rather than coercive.
- 'I'm in debtors' prison,' says Chicago options trader jailed 4 years over unpaid $10 million divorce judgment
Steve Fanady, a 61-year-old Chicago options trader, has been held in Cook County Jail for four years due to civil contempt for failing to comply with a court order to transfer stock shares awarded to his ex-wife during their divorce. Over 2,500 people in Cook County have been jailed in the past decade for unpaid spousal or child-support obligations, with most released quickly but some detained for years.
- Thousands have been jailed in Chicago for not paying child, spousal support, records show
Over 2,500 people in Cook County have been jailed for failing to pay court-ordered child or spousal support, with most being men and some held for over 100 days. Legal advocates criticize the system for offering little support to those without lawyers, as civil contempt cases lack procedural protections found in criminal proceedings.