Tiffany Henyard, Thornton Township sued over fight at meeting

THORNTON TWP., Ill. - Tiffany Henyard, Thornton Township and others were sued last week in federal court over their roles in a fight at a chaotic township board meeting back on Jan. 28.

The plaintiffs, Jedidiah Brown and Lavell Redmond, accused the defendants of intimidation and assault in relation for political speech. 

He also accused local police and a security firm for failing to maintain peace at the meeting.

An attorney for Henyard described the lawsuits as "frivolous" and an attempt to get "social media publicity."

The brawl

The backstory:

The fight took place after Brown, a community activist and frequent Henyard critic, delivered public comments which he concluded by saying, "you gone, b—ch," referring to Henyard.

According to those present, Henyard’s boyfriend confronted Brown, which led to an altercation.

Henyard also ran to the back of the room and appeared to join the brawl. Brown alleged that she "actively participated in the altercation," according to the lawsuit. 

The incident came amid ongoing scrutiny of Henyard in her roles at Thornton Township supervisor and mayor of Dolton.

The fight elicited criticism from multiple elected officials in the south suburbs. 

Trustees from Dolton and Thornton Township, along with residents and community leaders, called on Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke to remove Henyard from office.

The lawsuit

What we know:

Brown also sued four other individuals, the South Holland Police Department, and a security firm.

He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, according to the lawsuit, although he did not give a specific amount of money.

Brown claimed one of the defendants named in the lawsuit battered him by "pushing, choking, grabbing, kicking, and punching him without justification." He also claimed Henyard hit him in the back of the head with a microphone and choked him.

Brown is also seeking a court order to require Thornton Township to "implement security protocols to prevent future incidents at all public meetings." He's also wanting the defendants to cover attorneys' fees.

Brown alleged that the South Holland Police Department and a private security firm failed to prevent the violence that night. He claimed that a South Holland police officer was present at the meeting and "had the ability to stop the altercation before it escalated."

The Thornton Township meetings are held in the government building located in South Holland.

Attorney Beau Brindley, who represents Henyard, responded to the lawsuits with a statement: 

"These lawsuits are frivolous, completely without merit, and designed only to get social media publicity and to unfairly influence the election with fraudulent allegations," he said. "These two supposed victims are simply lying. It was them that through the first punches during the altercation in Thornton Township.  It is one of them who chose to use misogynistic epithets.  It is one of them who can be seem on video wielding a knife.  Their lawsuits will be dismissed because they are based on fiction rather than fact."

Mobile users can click here to read the full lawsuits from Brown and Redmond.