Latest news with #EdgarCountyWatchdogs
Fox News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Former Dem 'super mayor' pleads the Fifth after failing to produce public records in court
A Chicago suburb's former Democratic "super mayor" is facing yet another legal hurdle after failing to produce public records from her time in office after being held in contempt of court earlier this month. In a hearing on Friday, Tiffany Henyard's attorney Beau Bridley pleaded the Fifth on his client's behalf after she was ordered to hand over public records from her time in office. "The smear campaign against Tiffany Henyard, which began while she was in office, continues even now that she is out of office," Bridley said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Bridley conceded that the former mayor does not have the requested document, with an Illinois judge allowing Henyard's legal team to submit an affidavit in its place. "The mayor has no document that the plaintiff seeks," Bridley said. "This matter is going to be resolved with a simple affidavit. The whole hearing was much ado about nothing." The hearing stems from a lawsuit filed by the Edgar County Watchdogs Inc., after the organization sued Henyard and the Village of Dolton for failing to produce financial records after the documents were requested under the Freedom of Information Act. "We had little doubt Ms. Henyard would use losing the election as an excuse not to produce the documents," Edward "Coach" Weinhaus, attorney for Edgar County Watchdogs, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Invoking the Fifth Amendment for a criminal investigation was an added wrinkle. The Watchdogs will keep looking for the documents even if the voters might have inadvertently thrown out the documents with the mayor." The embattled former mayor was unseated after losing her re-election bid to Jason House, who was sworn in last month. Henyard was also defeated by Illinois state Sen. Napoleon Harris in her attempt to keep her seat as Thornton Township supervisor. Henyard was thrust into the national spotlight in April 2024 after officials at Dolton Village Hall were served subpoenas from the FBI following a corruption investigation, FOX 32 Chicago reported. Henyard, however, was not charged with a crime. In response to the FBI looking into Henyard's administration, village trustees voted to hire former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to investigate the former mayor's spending. At the initial vote, supporters of Henyard clashed with her opponents as the meeting spiraled into a screaming match between groups. Lightfoot's investigation reportedly revealed the village's fund fell from its initial $5.6 million balance to a $3.6 million deficit, with the local government's credit card bills accumulating a whopping $779,000 balance in 2023. On the day Henyard lost the mayoral primary, the Village of Dolton was reportedly slapped with a federal subpoena as officials demanded records tied to a land development allegedly tied to Henyard's boyfriend. Henyard is required to return for a hearing on June 11, with a judge set to decide if she is to remain in contempt of court while being fined $1,000 per day.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard does not have document demanded in FOIA lawsuit, attorney says
Attorneys for former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard say they will file an affidavit explaining she does not have records required as part of an ongoing lawsuit. Henyard was required to appear in court Friday at the Daley Center in Chicago to produce documents requested last year by the nonprofit Edgar County Watchdogs that are public via the Freedom of Information Act. Cook County Judge Kate Moreland filed an order holding her in contempt May 23 for repeated violations of court orders. Though Henyard was called to testify, Henyard's attorney, Beau Brindley, told Moreland she would not take the stand due to an ongoing federal investigation into possible misconduct during her tenure as Dolton's mayor. Brindley confirmed after the hearing he is representing Henyard in the federal investigation. 'She does not have these documents,' Brindley said. 'The one document they're asking for, she doesn't remember what it is. She doesn't possess it.' The Edgar County Watchdogs sued Dolton in February 2024 after failing to receive documents requested the month prior. The lawsuit claims the groups made two separate requests Jan. 5, 2024, neither of which received a response from Henyard's office. Attorneys for the Edgar County Watchdogs said Friday the village helped fulfill the first request, copies of all credit card statements since Oct. 1, 2023. However, they still not received copy of a document Henyard showed at a January public meeting while stating trustees canceled the credit card, stating the document was proof. 'We don't believe that someone can just burn a piece of paper or get rid of … the document, and the Watchdogs aren't going to stop until they get it,' attorney Edward Coach Winehouse said after the hearing. Judge Moreland affirmed Friday that Henyard would be fined $1,000 per day as of May 30 until she produced the records responsive to the group's request or filed the affidavit. Brindley said the affidavit would be filed by Monday. After the hearing, Brindley told the Daily Southtown the case represents a 'pretty unfair focus on Mayor Henyard, who has been out of office for awhile now.' 'This is about one piece of paper at a board meeting that she had like a year ago, and they seem to suggest that she's going to still have it,' Brindley said. 'She doesn't even know what it is, and the fact that they've gone to all this trouble and a contempt hearing and everything else is just silly.' Edgar County Watchdogs claim in the lawsuit the only response to their Jan. 5 FOIA requests came from Village Clerk Alison Key, informing them the village administrator at the time, Keith Freeman, instructed staff not to reply to requests that she entered. 'Hopefully, you will get what you are requesting,' Key wrote the day the request was received. Henyard's tenure as mayor, which ended last month, showed a pattern of ignored or denied public records requests. The Daily Southtown reported last year the Illinois attorney general's office received more than 50 related complaints between January 2021 and April 2024 regarding ignored or denied FOIA requests. The attorney general's office also received more than 30 similar complaints from Thornton Township from January 2022 and August 2024, when Henyard was supervisor. The Daily Southtown sought records from Dolton in May 2023, and followed up again in August of that year. While the Freedom of Information Act requests were acknowledged as received, there was no response. In May 2024, lawyers for the Daily Southtown sent a letter to Dolton officials, including Henyard, outlining the lack of response and requesting the village adhere to the law and turn over records. It too was ignored. In February 2024, the attorney general's office issued a binding opinion ordering Dolton to produce records requested by WGN. The village did not, and WGN eventually won a court ruling demanding the documents be turned over. ostevens@
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard due in court Friday
CHICAGO — Tiffany Henyard's era as Dolton mayor and Thornton Township supervisor is over, but her legal cases continue. A Cook County judge ordered Henyard to appear in court to answer claims that during her time in office, she failed to follow state transparency laws and turn over spending and other records. She fired back that she was simply 'the face of the village' and not its record keeper. The Friday hearing is in connection to a lawsuit filed by the Edgar County Watchdogs, Inc. The organization sued the Village of Dolton after Henyard's administration ignored Freedom Of Information Act requests last January. Prior to Friday's appearance, Henyard was found in contempt of court. We expect to learn Friday whether there will be any punishment for that. Over the last several years, Henyard has been at the center of controversy and an ongoing FBI investigation for questionable spending, and claims that she used her government power to retaliate against people she perceived as opponents. Brawl involving Tiffany Henyard leads to 2 lawsuits WGN Investigates has documented first class trips for Henyard and her allies costing taxpayers more than a $100,000. This spring, Dolton and Thornton Township residents voted Henyard out of office. While under the spotlight, Henyard has not been charged with a crime. Friday's hearing is also expected to look into a lawsuit against the Village of Dolton, Henyard and the village's board of fire and police commissioners. The hearing is expected to begin at 2 p.m. Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard does not have document demanded in FOIA lawsuit, attorney says
Attorneys for former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard say they will file an affidavit explaining she does not have records required as part of an ongoing lawsuit. Henyard was required to appear in court Friday at the Daley Center in Chicago to produce documents requested last year by the nonprofit Edgar County Watchdogs that are public via the Freedom of Information Act. Cook County Judge Kate Moreland filed an order holding her in contempt May 23 for repeated violations of court orders. Though Henyard was called to testify, Henyard's attorney, Beau Brindley, told Moreland she would not take the stand due to an ongoing federal investigation into possible misconduct during her tenure as Dolton's mayor. Brindley confirmed after the hearing he is representing Henyard in the federal investigation. 'She does not have these documents,' Brindley said. 'The one document they're asking for, she doesn't remember what it is. She doesn't possess it.' The Edgar County Watchdogs sued Dolton in February 2024 after failing to receive documents requested the month prior. The lawsuit claims the groups made two separate requests Jan. 5, 2024, neither of which received a response from Henyard's office. Attorneys for the Edgar County Watchdogs said Friday the village helped fulfill the first request, copies of all credit card statements since Oct. 1, 2023. However, they still not received copy of a document Henyard showed at a January public meeting while stating trustees canceled the credit card, stating the document was proof. 'We don't believe that someone can just burn a piece of paper or get rid of … the document, and the Watchdogs aren't going to stop until they get it,' attorney Edward Coach Winehouse said after the hearing. Judge Moreland affirmed Friday that Henyard would be fined $1,000 per day as of May 30 until she produced the records responsive to the group's request or filed the affidavit. Brindley said the affidavit would be filed by Monday. After the hearing, Brindley told the Daily Southtown the case represents a 'pretty unfair focus on Mayor Henyard, who has been out of office for awhile now.' 'This is about one piece of paper at a board meeting that she had like a year ago, and they seem to suggest that she's going to still have it,' Brindley said. 'She doesn't even know what it is, and the fact that they've gone to all this trouble and a contempt hearing and everything else is just silly.' Edgar County Watchdogs claim in the lawsuit the only response to their Jan. 5 FOIA requests came from Village Clerk Alison Key, informing them the village administrator at the time, Keith Freeman, instructed staff not to reply to requests that she entered. 'Hopefully, you will get what you are requesting,' Key wrote the day the request was received. Henyard's tenure as mayor, which ended last month, showed a pattern of ignored or denied public records requests. The Daily Southtown reported last year the Illinois attorney general's office received more than 50 related complaints between January 2021 and April 2024 regarding ignored or denied FOIA requests. The attorney general's office also received more than 30 similar complaints from Thornton Township from January 2022 and August 2024, when Henyard was supervisor. The Daily Southtown sought records from Dolton in May 2023, and followed up again in August of that year. While the Freedom of Information Act requests were acknowledged as received, there was no response. In May 2024, lawyers for the Daily Southtown sent a letter to Dolton officials, including Henyard, outlining the lack of response and requesting the village adhere to the law and turn over records. It too was ignored. In February 2024, the attorney general's office issued a binding opinion ordering Dolton to produce records requested by WGN. The village did not, and WGN eventually won a court ruling demanding the documents be turned over.
