West Cook News

A lawsuit pursued by former Wesley Township Road Commissioner John Norton in Will County Court has been dismissed, with the court deciding against a request for an emergency protective order sought against John Kraft and Kirk Allen, two individuals who write for the website Illinois Leaks.

An Illinois Leaks article written by Kraft and Allen states that the motion for an emergency protective order against them was stricken. They claim it was based on their being considered “press/media.”

According to a November 2019 Illinois Leaks post, Norton had originally sought $1 million each from eight named individuals in relation to an incident at a public meeting where he claimed the actions of those individuals interfered with his ability to participate. According to the interpretation of the authors, Norton’s claim was under a misconstrued interpretation of state law intended to prevent someone from being barred from participating in local government by a lawsuit.

A clipping of the court’s docket hosted by Kraft and Allen on their site states that the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice. 

“Cause come on for status, Plaintiff’s Emergency Motion for Order of Protection, Plaintiff’s Motion for Order of Contempt, and Defendant’s enjoined Motion to Dismiss,” the docket entry reads. “Plaintiff’s Motion for Order of Protection is stricken. Plaintiff’s Motion for Order of Contempt is denied. Defendant’s Motions to dismiss are granted. Cause dismissed with prejudice."

With the lawsuit having been dismissed with prejudice, it cannot be refiled, according to Kraft and Allen.

In his motion for a protection order, Norton had alleged ongoing harassment and intimidation by Kraft and Allen while he was attempting to leave the courthouse. Allen and Kraft denied the allegations and stated that, “We are simply the press, attending a court hearing in which we are interested in writing about.”