Calumet City Clerk Nyota Figgs has initiated legal proceedings seeking damages following the dismissal of a lawsuit that accused her of illegally destroying city documents in 2021. She claims that Mayor Thaddeus Jones and attorneys representing Calumet City conspired against her, engaging in malicious prosecution and abuse of process. This accusation stems from how they handled the document destruction lawsuit, her attorneys disclosed in a new legal complaint filed on Tuesday.
Although Calumet City reimbursed Figgs for her legal fees, attorney Edward Moor of Moor Law Office argues that Figgs deserves compensation for enduring a prolonged ordeal, as the lawsuit, filed in October 2021, persisted for years. Moor also represents Calumet City’s 2nd Ward Alderman Monet Wilson in separate litigation involving allegations against Jones regarding defamatory political statements.
This was a very traumatic period of time for her,Moor stated.She’s an elected city official, and the mayor took actions to basically cut her out of office.
The complaint outlines that, shortly before filing the lawsuit, Jones allegedly removed Figgs from her responsibilities and appointed another individual to perform her duties, despite opposition from city aldermen. Figgs has requested a court injunction to prevent further revocation of her responsibilities, which remains pending.
The lawsuit details a previous romantic relationship between Figgs and Jones, initiated in 2005 and concluded by Figgs in 2013. It claims that Jones proposed rekindling the relationship in 2021, but Figgs declined and Jones continued to make advances until late that year. The document asserts that Jones, in collaboration with attorneys from Ancel Glink and the Kasper, Holmes, and Dring law firm, pursued a groundless legal action against Figgs.
It further alleges that Jones and the attorneys misused the legal system to publicly defame Figgs and coerce her into abandoning a sexual harassment lawsuit she had filed. Jones, who also serves as a state representative, has denied these claims. Through his spokesperson, Sean Howard, Jones declared, every allegation of this lawsuit is false, baseless, and without merit,
and declined to provide further commentary.
Figgs seeks damages exceeding $50,000. Moor praised Figgs for her resilience, stating, Figgs is really an incredible woman, and she’s hung in there through all this harassment and retaliation to do her job for the people of the city of Calumet City, which she loves,
expressing hope that the lawsuit’s outcome will adequately compensate her.
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