Editor’s note: This story has been updated.

Attorneys for both sides in the civil lawsuit brought by Concerned Citizens of Manteno against Gotion, 333 South Spruce LLC and the village of Manteno were back in court Monday.

Manteno resident Brian Kovaka is also suing the three defendants.

Both sides, however, will not be back in court for some time.

Kankakee County Circuit Judge Lindsay Parkhurst was told by attorney Daria Porta, for 333 South Spruce LLC and Gotion, she was “making sure our order had been entered today for fact discovery.”

333 South Spruce LLC owns the property where Gotion’s factory is located.

Discovery, or fact-finding, lets the parties share information before the litigation begins, according to findlaw.com.

Gotion is building a $2 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Manteno.

The facility will focus on lithium-ion battery cell and pack production, as well as energy storage system integration.

The plant is expected to create 2,600 jobs. The development is part of Illinois’ efforts to grow the electric vehicle and clean energy sectors.

The sides are back in court on Feb. 4, 2026, for the status of compliance with case management.

According to LexisNexis.com, case management organizes, tracks and manages legal cases from inception to resolution.

On June 30, attorneys for Manteno, Gotion and 333 South Spruce filed documents answering Concerned Citizens of Manteno and Brian Kovaka’s second amended complaint.

Their affirmative defenses were part of the filings as well.

According to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute, an affirmative defense is a defense in which the defendant introduces evidence, which, if found to be credible, will negate criminal liability or civil liability, even if it is proven that the defendant committed the alleged acts.

The party raising the affirmative defense has the burden of proof on establishing that it applies. Raising an affirmative defense does not prevent a party from also raising other defenses.