Kane County judge’s $100K+ libel lawsuit against Geneva blogger stalls for lack of service

Where is Geneva blogger Jeffrey Ward?

Apparently, he has not been home when a process server tried and failed six times in February and March to serve him a summons and notice of a $100,000-plus libel lawsuit filed by Kane County Judge Michael Noland, according to court records.

The case was transferred to DeKalb County, where Chief Judge Bradley Waller on Tuesday approved an alternate form of serving the paperwork.

“We did not get service,” Noland’s attorney Andrew Clott said. “This matter is up before you for the first time. It was transferred over from Kane County. ... The hearing before the case was transferred was actually a hearing on a motion that I filed for service by alternative means.”

Noland filed his complaint against Jeffrey Ward Feb. 13, alleging that Ward made a false claim that Noland cheats on his wife, and Noland is seeking more than $100,000 in damages.

Process server Michael Menichini attempted to serve Ward six times at his house: at 7:40 p.m. Feb. 25, at 10:50 a.m. March 1, 7 p.m. March 6, 5:50 p.m. March 9, 8:40 p.m. March 12 and on 3:30 p.m. March 15, according to his affidavit filed in court records.

“I have reviewed the affidavit of the special process server,” Waller said. Waller found that Noland’s attorneys met the provisions in the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure where “standard methods ... are impractical.”

Defendants in civil lawsuits are notified of complaints through a process server, someone who serves them notice of the lawsuit and a summons to appear in court.

“I’m going to add that you send this not only by certified mail, but by regular mail and by posting,” Waller said. “And I’m going to direct you to file the proverbial green card evidence of service – or lack thereof – of certified mailing.”

By posting, the judge means the process server can tape it to Ward’s front door.

The next court date is Aug. 6. The court record does not show that Ward has an attorney and he did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Noland is a former state senator and was elected judge in 2018 and in 2024.

Noland’s two-count complaint alleges that Ward went beyond professional criticism in a Jan. 31 blog post when he claimed that Noland cheats on his wife.

“Noland does not and has never cheated on his wife,” according to the lawsuit.

The complaint seeks more than $50,000 on both of the two counts.