Attorney Ordered By Judge To Avoid Viagra Triangle (Which Is Probably A Good Idea Anyway)

By Chuck Sudo in News on Apr 24, 2014 2:15PM

Avoiding the Division and Rush “Viagra” Triangle nightlife area is sage advice for anyone who doesn’t want to deal with the expense account set. That’s the advice one judge gave a Chicago attorney Wednesday after an afternoon of drinking resulted in his allegedly walking out on his tab and pushed a police officer who ordered him to pay the bill.

Robert Semrad, Jr. was charged with running up a $949.15 bar tab at Tavern on Rush Tuesday afternoon and behaving in an intoxicated and “obscene” manner (it’s the Viagra Triangle, so that could ostensibly pass for “normal behavior there). A Tavern on Rush manager asked Semrad to settle his tab and leave. When Semrad refused, police were called to assist and, when they announced to Semrad he was being arrested for theft, the attorney allegedly pushed a police officer. In addition to the felony theft and misdemeanor resisting a police officer charges, Semrad faces a misdemeanor battery charge.

Semrad, who lives on the 0-100 block of East Walton Street—this keeps getting better—was ordered by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Peggy Chiampas to find another part of the city to do his day drinking. "You cannot go to Tavern On Rush," Chiampas said. "And that doesn't mean you go next door to Carmine's or anywhere around that area. You stay away from the Triangle."

Semrad is a bankruptcy attorney who runs Robert J. Semrad & Associates, aka “DebtStoppers.” According to his bio, he’s “a life-long Chicago resident and second-generation Chicago attorney” who found his calling specializing in bankruptcy law after graduating from DePaul Law School in 1994. “Rob learned quickly that bankruptcy law gave him everything he wanted in a law career — the opportunity to do the most good for the greatest number of people,” his bio reads.

Just don’t ask him to pick up the tab.