A Will County judge awarded $45,901 in damages and attorney fees to a woman after finding a man had caused her to suffer harassment over a fake Facebook post regarding U.S. President Donald Trump.

After a bench trial on Thursday, Judge Brian Barrett issued a ruling in favor of Ellen Moriarty and against Michael Gondek on “all counts of the complaint, including civil doxing, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress,” according to a court order.

Barrett awarded $10,000 to Moriarty for damage to her reputation, $10,000 for emotional distress she suffered and $5,000 for future damage to her reputation. Barrett also assessed $20,901 in reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.

In sum, the judge awarded $49,901 in damages for Moriarty’s case.

The 2024 lawsuit case arose from a fake Facebook image that falsely attributed to Moriarty a statement praising the attempted assassination of Trump, according to a news release from Moriarty’s attorney, Joe Giamanco, of Giamanco Law Partners in Bolingbrook.

Moriarty works as an election judge for the Will County Clerk’s Office and Gondek used to work for Homer Township.

In 2024, Shaw Local obtained records showing the clerk’s office determined that an image of a Facebook post on Trump attributed Moriarty was a “manipulated image” and not real.

Trial evidence showed the image was not authentic but Gondeck “shared it and it was subsequently reshared dozens of times, causing serious harm” to Moriarty, according to Giamanco’s news release.

Giamanco’s law firm considers Barrett’s verdict among the first and potentially first in Illinois to reach a trial for a verdict under the Civil Liability for Doxing Act.

In a statement, Giamanco said the case was about “truth, accountability, and protecting a citizen from being deliberately targeted with false and harmful material.”

“Ellen Moriarty was unfairly harassed, wrongfully blamed for a fake image, and subjected to a campaign that never should have happened. The court’s ruling makes clear that this kind of conduct has consequences,” Giamanco said.

Moriarty’s case was filed against Patricia “Patty” Deiters, a New Lenox Township trustee. Deiters was dismissed from the case in 2025 following a settlement agreement, court records show.

Will County Republican Party chairwoman Christina Clausen testified in the trial, according to Giamanco’s news release.

That testimony provided “additional context regarding the circulation and discussion of the false image and how it was going to be used,” according to Giamanco’s news release.