Was It Doxing?

About two years ago, the governor signed a law that took effect in January 2024.

740 ILCS 195 – Civil Liability for Doxing Act.

In the Act, “Doxing” is defined as:

(a) A person does doxing when they intentionally publish another’s personally identifiable information without consent, and:

1. It is published with the intent to harm or harass, and they know or recklessly disregard that the victim might suffer death, bodily injury, or stalking.
2. The publication causes the victim significant economic harm, emotional distress, fear of serious bodily injury or death, or substantial life disruption.

The victim is identifiable from the information itself.

(b) Legal exceptions include:

1. Reporting to law enforcement for suspected crime or legitimate investigation.
2. Disclosing in connection with reporting unlawful conduct.
3. Speech protected by the First Amendment (e.g., journalism, protest).

This brings us to why the Village of Orland Park sent the former mayor a cease-and-desist letter over detailing personnel items on a former, and a current village employee.

According to the attachment in the village’s C&D letter, on July 12, 2025, the former mayor emailed a newsletter that itemized various memoranda, letters, summaries, notices, and written warnings about the two individuals.

Once a person exits government service and returns as a private citizen, you cannot share such things that only an insider would know.

This is especially true for privileged attorney work product that is controlled by the municipal corporation.

It’s one thing to urge followers to FOIA any documents related to employee disciplines. It’s quite another to cite specifics in a targeted fashion.

While disciplinary records of employees are subject to FOIA, this is generally reserved for outcomes, not play-by-play details of how an outcome came to be.

By detailing so much in the newsletter, the former mayor appears to have revealed far more than even the village could legally release under FOIA.

But this is for the lawyers to figure out. Will the village have to invoke the Civil Liability for Doxing Act?

Who can say?

At the moment, the former mayor appears to be doubling down on his efforts.

I suppose everything is on the table.