Steak N Shake's Lawsuit Against 3 Ex-Joliet Employees: UPDATE

JOLIET, IL — Will County Judge John Anderson has granted a permanent injunction that prevents Joliet residents and former Larkin Avenue restaurant employees Jakaila Rancifer, Sokia Pruitte and Katia Frederick from "visiting or going to the Steak N Shake in Joliet, Illinois.

There is the restaurant at 201 Larkin Avenue and the other one is at 2675 Plainfield Road in the Joliet Commons over near the Louis Joliet Mall shopping center.

According to court records, all three lawsuit defendants attended Will County Judge John Anderson's courtroom for last week's hearing.

"As to the remaining aspects of the request for injunctive relief, defendants do not agree," court records show.

The three defendants are required to answer Steak N Shake's lawsuit complaint by October 12. Everybody in the lawsuit is to provide the other side, by Nov. 9, with copies of all documents, cell phone messages, video and other evidence they intend to rely on at the trial.

Steak N Shake filed the Will County civil lawsuit against the three people from Joliet who were hired and subsequently fired this year from 201 South Larkin Ave. The lawsuit accuses them of being hostile and violent toward Steak N Shake employees and interfering in the Steak N Shake's normal business conduct.

Judge Anderson set the trial for Nov. 30 at 10 a.m.

In August 2022, Joliet Patch published a news story, revealing that the Steak-N-Shake on Larkin Avenue has become one of the most unpredictable restaurants along Joliet's busy corridor near the Interstate 80 exit.

From 2019 until 2021, the Steak-N-Shake was shuttered. Then, unexpectedly, it reopened in early 2021. Then, several months ago, it closed again.

Now, it's back in business again, giving Joliet a total of two Steak-N-Shake restaurants in the state's third-largest city.

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Steak N Shake Sues 3 Joliet 'Violent and Hostile' Ex-Employees: Suit

Joliet Steak-N-Shake Makes Yet Another Comeback