Defense seeks to move ex-Joliet mayor’s conspiracy lawsuit case outside Will County

Attorneys defending several people against a conspiracy lawsuit filed by the former Joliet mayor are seeking to move the case outside of Will County.

A joint petition for change of venue filed on Wednesday argues former Mayor Bob O’Dekirk has become such a “polarizing figure” in the county that he will have an “undue influence over the minds of those in the jury pool who supported him during his political run.”

The petition further contends widespread media coverage of controversies involving O’Dekirk will make it difficult to find jurors who are not familiar with the case.

The petition was filed by attorneys representing six people and the City of Joliet in O’Dekirk’s lawsuit case. O’Dekirk’s lawsuit claims he was the victim of an alleged conspiracy by a “cabal” that damaged his reputation and led to his 2023 election loss to Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy.

O’Dekirk’s case has a status hearing set for June 26.

O’Dekirk’s lawsuit claims the “cabal” used Don Dickinson, a former Joliet City Council member, as a “puppet” to get him to make a false claim that O’Dekirk was going to ruin Dickinson’s political career by publicly releasing intimate photos of him.

O’Dekirk’s lawsuit alleged the “cabal” includes retired Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner, his wife Nancy Griparis, retired Joliet Deputy Police Chief Marc Reid, former Herald-News Editor Joseph Hosey, Joliet City Council member Pat Mudron and former City Council member Jim McFarland.

The petition filed Wednesday includes affidavits from at least 10 people, including several of the defendants, who contend the case will not receive a fair trial if it remains in Will County.

Joliet Interim Corporation Counsel Todd Lenzie is among those recommending the case moves to another county.

Joliet City Council member Sherri Reardon’s affidavit said O’Dekirk remains an “extremely polarizing figure” in Joliet and the surrounding areas. She said O’Dekirk has a “combative personality” who “aggressively pursued numerous controversial policies.”

Reardon’s affidavit said the vast majority of people she encounters believe they already know everything they need to know about O’Dekirk and his political battles.

“Put colloquially, most people have chosen their side and dug in, and are about as likely to change their minds as Cubs fans are to become Sox fans (or vice versa),” Reardon’s affidavit said.

O’Dekirk initially filed his lawsuit in 2023 in federal court.

But a federal judge dismissed O’Dekirk’s case on legal grounds last February. The judge nevertheless allowed O’Dekirk to pursue several claims in state court.

Joliet City Council member Pat Mudron, O’Dekirk’s longtime political foe, submitted an affidavit that said many of the people connected to the case know many of the judges in Will County, including O’Dekirk, who is an attorney.

Put colloquially, most people have chosen their side and dug in, and are about as likely to change their minds as Cubs fans are to become Sox fans (or vice versa).

—  Joliet City Council member Sherri Reardon's affidavit

O’Dekirk was once a law partner of retired Will County Judge Dave Carlson, who administered O’Dekirk’s oath of office when he was first elected mayor in 2015.

O’Dekirk has also been represented in two Illinois State Police investigations by prominent defense attorney Jeff Tomczak, who once served as the Will County state’s attorney in the early 2000s.

Attorneys for the defendants in O’Dekirk’s case claim his accusations against the defendants had a “pervasively negative effect” on public opinion, according to the petition.

The attorneys claim local residents have started their own social media campaigns against those defendants or people who are friendly toward them.

“O’Dekirk’s influence over the minds of potential Will County jurors cannot be overlooked and it would be unjust to allow him to benefit from such control through his choice of refiling this action before this venue,” according to the attorneys’ petition.

Roechner’s affidavit said he knows people have lumped him in with a City Council faction that opposed O’Dekirk and assumed he intended to remove O’Dekirk from office.

“Those rumors about me were false,” Roechner’s affidavit said.

Roechner said he’s applied for multiple police chief positions in Will County but has not received a single call back, which he believes is a direct result of “all the rumors and reporting about the Dickinson and O’Dekirk matter.”