Tinley Lawyer Sues Candidates In April Election For More Than $1M

TINLEY PARK, IL — A Tinley Park lawyer and 2013 mayoral candidate who recently was named interim director for the village's Emergency Management Agency has filed a defamation lawsuit against candidates in last spring's election who he claims damaged his reputation and legal practice, according to the Daily Southtown. Steve Eberhardt is seeking more than $1 million in the lawsuit he filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court, the report stated.

According to the lawsuit, candidates who ran on the Tinley First slate — that included Dave Seaman, the former trustee who served out Mayor Ed Zabrocki's term after he stepped down for health reasons in 2015; former Village Clerk Patrick Rea; and former Trustee Kevin Suggs; as well as Mark Moylan and Jeff Ficaro, who both ran for trustee seats — were allegedly behind campaign materials during April's election that wrongly stated Eberhardt advised then-Trustee Jacob Vandenberg in his successful mayoral bid, the report stated. The lawsuit also accuses the candidates of producing fliers and posting social media updates that claimed Eberthardt allegedly threatened Moylan that possibly embarrassing information would be released if the Tinley First candidate didn't drop out, the report added. Moylan initially made these allegations at a Feb. 7 Village Board meeting, and he claimed Eberhardt's threat happened during a Jan. 27 meeting between the two at Moylan's Tinley Park insurance office, according to the Southtown.

The candidates aren't the only defendants in the lawsuit, the report stated. Six village residents who the lawsuit claims are Tinley First supporters also are named, the report added.

Seaman told the Southtown that he and the other Tinley First candidates Eberhardt is suing might file a countersuit after weighing "all of our legal options." Vandenberg and the Concerned Citizens for Tinley Park ticket swept the election, winning the races for mayor and village clerk, as well as the three open trustee seats.

Eberhardt told the Southtown he would let the lawsuit speak for itself and would not comment further. In his lawsuit, Eberhardt claims the allegations against him were the result of his past opposition to Seaman and Rea. Over the years, he had been a vocal critic of Zabrocki and his past administration and spearheaded a drive to institute term limits for elected village officials.

RELATED: Tinley Trustees Try To Halt Mayor's Naming Of Agency's Interim Director

Recently, Vandenberg tapped Eberhardt as the interim head for Tinley Park's Emergency Management Agency following the promotion of Pat Carr, the previous director, to assistant village manager. The mayor informed trustees of the move in an Oct. 19, but some board members claim Vandenberg overstepped with the appointment.

During a meeting of the board's Administration and Legal Committee earlier this month, three trustees —Cynthia Berg, Michael Mangin and Michael Pannitto — voted to nullify Eberhardt's appointment, contending that the Village Board needed to be involved in the decision. A village ordinance does allow the mayor to name a new director if the vacancy is caused by an emergency, such as the previous director's death, resignation or inability to fullfill the position's duties. According to the trustees, the promotion of the previous director to a new position doesn't meet those emergency conditions outlined in the ordinance.

More via the Daily Southtown

Steve Eberhardt (Photo via Patch archive)