Bob O'Dekirk Reveals Next Move After Federal Lawsuit Fails

JOLIET — Despite having his federal lawsuit against former Joliet police chief Al Roechner, former deputy chief Marc Reid, former Joliet Councilman Jim McFarland and a host of others dismissed by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings, Joliet lawyer and former two-term mayor Bob O'Dekirk is not ready to throw in the towel and give up the battle.

On Wednesday, O'Dekirk provided Joliet Patch with a response in regard to Tuesday's decision from the U.S. District judge out of Chicago, which dismissed all the federal claims in O'Dekirk's lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed in July 2023 after O'Dekirk lost his re-election to Joliet car dealership owner Terry D'Arcy.

"I have spoken with my attorneys and will make a decision in the next couple of days," O'Dekirk told Joliet Patch. "We intend to either file an appeal like Officer (Cassie) Socha did in her lawsuit against the corrupt former police administration, or I can refile the matter in state court like Councilman Don Dickinson did in his lawsuit against the corrupt former police administration.

"It's important that the people of Joliet and Will County learn the truth about what these public officials did and everyone involved held responsible."

On Wednesday, Joliet Patch asked O'Dekirk whether Socha was successful in getting her federal lawsuit against the Joliet Police Department reinstated.

"Yes, she did," O'Dekirk responded.

In August 2018, less than two weeks after Police Chief Brian Benton announced his retirement, Officer Cassie Socha filed a federal lawsuit against the Joliet Police Department. She accused a number of upper-level police supervisors of engaging in a revenge porn scheme to embarrass and humiliate her by illegally seizing her private cell phone.

In 2023, the federal court judge assigned to Socha's case dismissed her lawsuit. However, in 2024, a federal appeals court reinstated the Socha lawsuit, and it remains ongoing in U.S. District Court.

In September 2023, Joliet Patch broke the news reporting that former Joliet City Councilman Don "Duck" Dickinson had filed a civil lawsuit at the Will County Courthouse seeking in excess of $75,000 from ex-Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner, ex-deputy chief of police Marc Reid and the City of Joliet.

The lawsuit, filed by longtime downtown Joliet attorney Frank Andreano, accuses Reid and Roechner of conspiracy to inflict emotional distress. The city of Joliet is being sued for malicious prosecution because of Reid and Roechner's role in soliciting Dickinson to make a police report.

"Reid and Roechner, as police officers and policy makers for the city of Joliet, solicited Dickinson to make a police report and then forwarded such report to the Illinois State Police for the purpose of criminal prosecution, and which resulted in the actual criminal prosecution of Dickinson for an offense which he Dickinson did not commit," Andreano's lawsuit outlined.