Thornton Township selects legal counsel in civil rights lawsuits against outgoing leadership
Two law firms with ties to incoming leadership will represent the township in litigation filed following a brawl in January.
Thornton Township hired law firms connected to the incoming administration to represent the township and outgoing leadership in two civil rights lawsuits against the township and outgoing leadership.
According to the board of trustees, legal counsel will be provided for Henyard only in her official capacity as a supervisor, not as a private individual in two lawsuits. The two lawsuits were filed by two people who participated in a brawl in January, and the defendants allege civil rights violations against Supervisor Tiffany Henyard.
“We have to cover her in an official capacity. She was the supervisor,” Wiedeman told the HWH after the board’s April 22 meeting. “We don’t have a choice.”
Social media personality Jedidiah Brown alleges assault, battery, false imprisonment, First Amendment retaliation, due process violations, negligence, infliction of emotional distress, and negligent hiring, training, and supervision. The township has secured Odelson, Murphey, Frazier, & McGrath for representation.
Laduzinsky & Associates will defend the township and its employees in a separate lawsuit filed by Lavell Redmond, an associate of Brown who was also involved in the incident.
Both law firms recently represented incoming supervisor Napoleon Harris, a Flossmoor Democrat, as he fought a challenge to his residency. Harris does not reside within Thornton Township, ineligible for his supervisor seat. However, objectors abruptly dropped their challenge.
Odelson, Ltd. was hired to represent Dolton trustees who found themselves at odds with Henyard, who served as mayor from 2021 to 2025. With the election of Jason House, Odelson, Ltd. is now legislative counsel for the village.
The board fired Woods from township employment in February. He has filed his own lawsuit against the township for wrongful termination.
It’s not uncommon for new administrations to inherit litigation from prior ones. “If the incident happened, it’s just like car insurance… we still have to cover her, whether she’s here or not, because it happened while she was the supervisor,” Wiedeman explained.
The township is awaiting further guidance from legal counsel regarding the specific claims outlined in both lawsuits.
Local musician seeks $1,000 in unpaid fees
Catherine Granberry, a Calumet City resident and lead singer of the band “Lady and the Gents,” addressed the board during the public comment regarding an unpaid $1,000 performance fee for a canceled township event.
“I was asked to perform at the Taste of Thornton Township last year. I said, ‘Yeah,’ because Keke Wyatt was going to be headlining,” said Grandberry, a township employee working in the general assistance division. “I’m like, hell yeah, we want to do it,” Granberry told HWH.
Granberry submitted a contract for the August 2024 event a month-and-a-half in advance, but never received follow-up communication, she said. Her contract stated a $1,000 cancellation fee.
Granberry’s performed under the Frank Zuccarelli administration, doing picnics, food events, and tributes to legendary singers like Aretha Franklin. There was never an issue with payment, she said.
“I emailed the trustees, I know the township has been going through our own little issues here, and I’ve been patient,” she said. Granberry pointed to a cancellation clause in her contract that she believes entitles her to payment.
“It’s been a whole year. Are y’all still holding on to that and won’t honor my contract?”
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