$32 Million: Joliet Sued By Angry Man Left With Flattened Home

JOLIET, IL — Carl Edward Johnson, a 64-year-old former Joliet resident who watched as city of Joliet-hired demolition contractors knocked down his home in the College Park subdivision off Houbolt Road on June 15, 2021, has filed a lawsuit against Joliet and Will County. Johnson is seeking a judgment in his favor of a jaw-dropping $32 million.

"I lost everything, everything that I owned from my children's pictures to Christmas pictures, just like a tornado came along, just like a tornado came along," Johnson repeated during a June 15, 2021, interview with Joliet Patch at his property. "Why didn't they give me time, knowing I'm disabled? They should have allowed me to repair my roof."

Nowadays, Johnson is a resident of Marseilles, which is 40 miles from Joliet.

Last week, Johnson filed his civil lawsuit against Joliet and Will County on his own accord. As a pro se litigant, Johnson has no lawyer, which means his lawsuit has a much lesser chance for success at the Will County Courthouse.

On June 15, 2021, Joliet Patch was on hand when the demolition excavator showed up at Johnson's property at 906 Menlo Court and destroyed his home at the Joliet taxpayer's expense.

Patch has previously reported the demolition happened two years and four months after the city of Joliet declared Carl E. Johnson's property in College Park a public nuisance.

At times, an irate Johnson screamed and cursed at the company hired to rip apart his house, Gregg W. Dobczyk Excavating and Demolition. During the noon hour, the demolition contractor called for Joliet police to arrive at the scene after Johnson began swearing and screaming at the contractor, discarding a large pile of automobile parts into the trash bin.

During his June 2021 interview, Johnson told Joliet Patch he has been involved in several years of litigation with the city of Joliet concerning his property. With little advance notice, Johnson said he rented a U-Haul the previous night to save some of his possessions.

Then 62 years old, Johnson told Patch he had lived at 906 Menlo Court since the mid-1980s. He disagreed with Joliet's determination that his house was a public nuisance, insisting that it only needed a new roof and that he had received a check from his insurance to replace the roof.

According to his handwritten lawsuit against Joliet and Will County, Johnson stated the following events took place and that's why he deserves a jury verdict of $32 million in his favor:

"The city of Joliet hired Gregg W. Dobczyk Excavating and Demolition to demolition my house. The city of Joliet and Will County gave me inproper (sic) notification, no notification, of the demolition of my home. I will be seeking legal representation.

"I am seeking thirty-two million dollars due to my injuries, my losses and defination (sic) of character and the hate crime that they have been doing against me."

Lawyers for the city of Joliet as well as Will County have not yet filed their appearance and response to Johnson's lawsuit.

Johnson's lawsuit was assigned a court date of Oct. 3 at the downtown Joliet courthouse.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Joliet Bulldozes Man's House In College Park: 'I Lost Everything'