JOLIET – The owner of Maneuvers has announced a settlement that ends three years of litigation between the bar and the city.
The settlement agreement resolves charges that once threatened to shut down the gay bar at least temporarily, as well as a civil rights lawsuit filed against the city of Joliet, according to a statement.
Other terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Attorney Anthony Tomkiewicz, who represented Maneuvers’ owner Fred Schramm, and Mayor Bob O’Dekirk said they could not discuss the terms.
Tomkiewicz said he could not comment beyond a statement he issued on behalf of Schramm.
“We are satisfied with the result, and Mr. Schramm feels vindicated,” the statement said.
The statement goes on to say that a change in city administration has relieved concerns about discrimination.
“While we had previous concerns of discrimination against a LGBT-oriented and -owned business at the onset of litigation, the new current city administration has demonstrated to us that there are no such issues, and we no longer have those concerns,” the statement said.
The city in early 2014 under Mayor Tom Giarrante as liquor commissioner attempted to pull Maneuvers' liquor license for three days as a result of allegations that included criminal charges related to a July 2013 incident.
Maneuvers went to court and blocked the temporary closing of the bar. In turn, Schramm filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city.
“I didn’t treat them any differently than I did any other liquor license holder,” Giarrante said Thursday. “They broke the law, and I went through what the police said in their reports, and it resulted in charges.”
O’Dekirk, who took office in May 2015, called the statement from Tomkiewicz, which included a reference to his administration’s treatment of downtown businesses, “a fair assessment.”
“I agree that we are treating people fairly, and we are trying to encourage business downtown,” O’Dekirk said.
Schramm went through a lengthy liquor commission hearing in October 2013 over the incident at Maneuvers. Police were called to the bar at 118 E. Jefferson St. for a disturbance involving Schramm and two customers, according to testimony at the hearing.
Police at the hearing described Schramm as drunk and disorderly. While Schramm was being taken to the police station, he pulled fecal matter out of his pants and spread it around the squad car, police testified.
Police also said Schramm had called them “homosexual haters” at the scene and accused them of picking on him because of his sexual preference.
Schramm testified at the hearing that he was not intoxicated and that he was treated so roughly by police that he lost bowel control while being slammed against the squad car.
Customers at the bar that night gave conflicting versions of what happened.
Schramm faced the possible loss of his liquor license because of felony charges on top of alleged violations of the city’s liquor code.
The felony charges were eventually dismissed, although Schramm did plead guilty to one misdemeanor count related to his refusal to comply with police as they tried to fingerprint him and take his mug shot at the police station.