Burr Ridge Mayor Threatened With Contempt Of Court

BURR RIDGE, IL – A DuPage County judge last week chastised Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso, threatening him with a charge of contempt of court.

Judge Robert Rohm apologized to the mayor later in the same hearing.

Patch obtained the transcript.

The hearing involved a 3-year-old lawsuit that Grasso filed against former Burr Ridge Trustee Zach Mottl.

Grasso claimed Mottl defamed him during the 2019 mayoral election, which Grasso handily won.

Grasso is now running as a Republican in the 6th Congressional District. In the June 28 GOP primary, he is running against five candidates, including Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau.

At last week's hearing, lawyers debated the issues of the case. Grasso, who is also an attorney, attended virtually.

Grasso apparently angered the judge during the hearing.

"Mr. Grasso, stop doing that," Rohm said. "Either stop reacting, stop shaking your head."

The judge then said, "Mr. Grasso, that just cost you $250 because I'm going to hold you in contempt of court. I'm not sure on what planet you think it's OK while the court is speaking with you to turn your video off.

"Turn it back on now. Unmute yourself, sit up straight, get the smirk off your face, and don't you ever do that in my courtroom again. Do we understand that, sir?"

Grasso responded, "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, your honor, but you're–"

"Now stop talking," the judge ordered

Grasso tried to speak again, but Rohm ordered him to stay silent.

"You knock it off. You've been a lawyer for a long time," the judge said.

Grasso acknowledged he had been.

Again, the judge became upset.

"Stop interrupting me, sir. It is improper for you to behave that way, to go like this with your hand. For the record, he's waving away. He's vociferously shaking his head. Knock it off. Got it?"

"Yes, I do, Judge," Grasso said.

Rohm then said, "The next two words out of your mouth ought to be 'I apologize.'"

"I apologize, Judge," Grasso said.

Rohm said that if Grasso needed to act like a child, he should turn off his video.

"Either way, it's up to you. I couldn't possibly care less," the judge said.

Later in the hearing, Rohm said he would not hold Grasso in contempt of court. Grasso's lawyer said his client apologized.

The judge said he accepted it.

"And I probably owe him an apology," he said.

Rohm said he was sick of Zoom.

"I understand it as a litigant," the judge said. "It's more efficient. I'm just tired of Zoom. I'm just sick and tired of it because people act differently."

He said Zoom has a lag time in which people seem to be talking over each other.

The judge also said Grasso was making gestures that would be inappropriate if they were in front of a jury. But no jurors were present.

"So no apology necessary," Rohm said. "That was just me being a hothead."

In an email to Patch on Thursday, Grasso said he remained emotional and upset about what Mottl printed and posted about him and his family during the 2019 mayoral election.

Grasso said he followed the court sessions closely on Zoom.

"During an argument involving all the attorneys on a discovery issue, I was on mute but shook my head and waved my hand in opposition against a statement that was made," the mayor said. "I was wrong to do so as a litigant attending via Zoom and the court admonished me."

He continued, "I apologized to the Court and the Court later apologized to me for its reaction as well, commenting that it understood the emotional nature of the case. The case remains emotional for me, and I will refrain from attending future court sessions until trial."

Grasso sued Mottl after the April 2019 election, claiming the former trustee defamed and libeled him.

Among other statements before the election, Mottl accused the mayor of committing tax fraud because he had taken two homestead property tax exemptions — one in Burr Ridge, the other in Chicago. A person can only take the exemption at one place, a primary residence. The mayor responded that Cook County mistakenly applied an exemption to his Chicago property.