Tiffany Henyard's lawyer sues rival Dolton trustees' legal counsel for defamation

CHICAGO - The lawyer who used to represent the Village of Dolton and Mayor Tiffany Henyard filed a lawsuit against the attorney who provided legal counsel to the Board of Trustees.

Del Galdo Law Group served as special counsel and prosecutor for the Village of Dolton from May 2021 until April 2024. 

According to a lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court on June 11, Burt Odelson, a partner at Odelson, Murphy, Frazier, and McGrath Ltd., defamed Del Galdo Law Group on several occasions. 

The lawsuit claimed Odelson attempted to represent the village when the mayor was elected in 2021, but Henyard appointed Del Galdo instead. 

At a Special Meeting of the Dolton Board of Trustees in February 2024, Odelson allegedly said Del Galdo Law had a conflict of interest in representing the village.

Del Galdo Law claimed Odelson's statement was designed to intimidate the firm from representing the village and to convince the trustees that his firm was better suited for the job. 

Odelson also advised the trustees that Del Galdo Law had incorrectly billed the village tens of thousands of dollars, according to the complaint. Del Galdo Law said the firm billed the village consistent with their contract. 

Del Galdo Law withdrew from representing Henyard and the Village in April after the firm had not been paid. The firm sent a letter to Henyard and the trustees saying the village was facing millions of dollars in judgments from pending several cases and could be on the hook for millions more from nearly two dozen current lawsuits.

Henyard has long been the center of controversy after countless allegations of corruption, inappropriate spending of village funds and excessive personal police details. The FBI served subpoenas at the Dolton Village Hall in April amid the allegations against Henyard. 

The lawsuit alleged that Odelson made false and defamatory statements about Del Galdo Law to the media, which were published. Del Galdo claimed Oldelson's public statements injured his personal and professional reputation and discouraged others from associating with them. 

Del Galdo Law requested compensatory, punitive damages, and a trial by jury. 

See the full complaint here.