2 Lawsuits Against Mayor O'Dekirk End With Settlements

JOLIET, IL — The two federal lawsuits filed against Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk and members of the Joliet Police Department in connection with the controversial arrests of Victor Williams and Jamal Smith has resulted in out of court settlements, court documents indicate.

A federal judge was notified of the settlements Tuesday, court records show. News of the settlement was first reported by Shaw Media.

Details of the monetary settlement have not been disclosed.

When reached for comment, O'Dekirk told Joliet Patch that he had not been made aware of any settlements regarding the pair of lawsuits naming him as the main defendant.

The incident involving O'Dekirk's confrontation with Smith and Williams happened following the May 31, 2020, Black Lives Matter demonstration near the White Castle restaurant on Larkin Avenue and Jefferson Street.

"These guys came to our city and participated in a riot, and now they want to complain about me and the police," O'Dekirk told Joliet Patch during an interview in October 2020.

Jamal Smith, now 29 of Crest Hill, and Victor Williams, now 24, of Lockport, had separate federal lawsuits accusing O'Dekirk and Joliet police of false arrest/unlawful detention, failure to intervene, malicious prosecution, conspiracy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Williams and Smith had attended the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Joliet on the night of May 31, 2020.

According to the lawyers for Williams, "Defendant Mayor O'Dekirk grabbed plaintiff in and around the neck area and about the body and forcefully drove him backwards and subsequently threw him to the ground.

"Defendant O'Dekirk used inappropriate, unwarranted and unjustifiable force against plaintiff," the lawsuit argues. "Defendant officers assaulted, battered and restrained plaintiff without lawful cause or justification. Following the beating, the defendant officers falsely accused plaintiff of engaging in conduct which justified their actions."

Williams and Smith were arrested by Joliet police at 12:36 a.m. on June 1, 2020, at 1601 W. Jefferson St. on charges of aggravated assault and mob action.

But by July 2, 2020, the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow chose to dismiss all the criminal charges against Williams and Smith.

Then, last June, an Illinois State Police investigation determined that criminal charges would not be filed against O'Dekirk for his role in the scuffle with Smith and Williams.

"Jefferson Street got out of control, and I got caught in the middle of that," O'Dekirk told Joliet Patch for a story published last June 16.

During the June 2021 interview, O'Dekirk told Joliet Patch he was always confident the Illinois State Police would exonerate him for his role in his scuffle with Williams and Smith.

The mayor said that even though that night was marked widespread unrest, criminal property damage to several businesses, and it later led to several small protests organized in front of his house, "I've always been focused on being mayor and leading the city forward," O'Dekirk said.

Since being retained, the Itasca law firm of Hervas, Bersani & Condon has been paid more than $62,000 for defending Joliet's mayor and the city of Joliet surrounding the federal lawsuits brought forward by Smith and Williams, Joliet Patch reported last month.