Judge Upholds Village's Restraining Order Against Ex-Mayor Pekau: Village

ORLAND PARK, IL — A temporary restraining order against former Orland Park mayor Keith Pekau was upheld Tuesday, allowing the Village's lawsuit against him to continue.

Cook County Judge Caroline Kate Moreland on Tuesday denied Pekau's motion to dissolve the order, the Village said in a release.

"It’s a victory for the Village, that the judge is seeing that we have a right and need for protection here," said Keri-Lyn Krafthefer, the Village's attorney.

Amid an emergency lawsuit filed by the Village of Orland Park, Moreland in August 2025 issued the temporary restraining order against Pekau, ordering him to immediately remove his publication of confidential information he had access to while mayor, and to cease publishing or disseminating any additional non-public confidential information related to the Village of Orland Park.

The suit was filed in response, the Village said, to Pekau's use of a blog and social media posts to disclose "sensitive internal documents and details concerning ongoing litigation" involving the Village, and "non-public information related to Village employees," the Village said.

The Village alleges that Pekau, who lost his bid for re-election in April 2025, published blog and social media posts disclosing sensitive internal documents, details related to ongoing litigation involving the Village, and non-public information related to Village employees.

"It is the Village’s position that Mr. Pekau’s conduct violated privacy laws and risked undermining the Village’s position in active litigation, potentially exposing taxpayers to increased liability and financial harm," a release from the Village reads. "Prior to filing suit, the Village requested that Mr. Pekau voluntarily remove the confidential information, but he declined to do so."

Mayor Jim Dodge on Wednesday said it was clear the judge understood the "serious implications" of Pekau's disclosing the information.

"This court case is not about reputational damage (to the Village)," Dodge said, "it’s about preventing the risk of the Village being sued because of his actions."

During ongoing court proceedings, attorneys for the Village argued that Pekau’s publication of the Village’s confidential information violated his oath of office, provisions of the Village Code prohibiting current and former officials from disclosing confidential Village information, and requirements of the Illinois Municipal Code mandating that outgoing officials turn over all Village records to their successors. The attorneys reiterated that while the Village is committed to transparency, Illinois law permits municipalities to keep certain limited categories of information confidential for legally defined purposes.

Pekau has been enjoined from disclosing the Village's confidential information since the original order was entered in August, and remains enjoined, the Village's attorneys said last month.

Tuesday's hearing was the most recent proceeding following legal and verbal sparring between the two parties in December.

READ MORE: Orland Lawsuit Against Former Mayor Will Proceed, Village Wants Documents Back

On Chicago news stations and via his social media last month, Pekau touted that a Cook County judge had dismissed six of seven counts against him in the lawsuit—a statement the Village disputed.

Judge Caroline Kate Moreland in December denied Pekau's motion to dismiss, court documents showed. Moreland also ruled that the Village's claims regarding Pekau's keeping and use of non-public Village records were legally sufficient to move forward.

The Village continues in its efforts to recover confidential Village documents that remain in Pekau’s possession, officials said in a statement.

"All we’re asking him to do is to comply with Illinois law about the sensitive documents," Dodge said, "and stop the reckless disclosure of the information."

Krafthefer said the Village has made an attempt to settle with Pekau.

"We’ve proposed to settle, if he will agree to stop releasing confidential information and turn over the records, but he will not do that," she said. "... A settlement has been proposed, so far he has refused to respond to our offer."