Park Forest mayor sues village over legal fees in restaurant altercation lawsuit

PARK FOREST - Park Forest Mayor Joe Woods is suing the village in an effort to have it cover legal costs in a lawsuit filed by the owners of a local restaurant following an alleged altercation.

The dispute stems from a 2024 incident outside All Out Pit Restaurant after Woods responded to a fire at the business.

Park Forest mayor files lawsuit

The backstory:

Video from the scene shows Woods, wearing a white shirt, in a confrontation with the restaurant's owners in the parking lot. A village trustee is also seen attempting to intervene.

The lawsuit alleges Woods placed his hand on the restaurant owner's neck and broke the man's teeth and injured his back. The restaurant owner and his family have sued the Village of Park Forest over the incident.

Village officials determined Woods was not acting in his official capacity during the altercation and declined to pay for his legal defense. Woods is now suing the village to require it to cover those legal expenses.

"I think that we as Park Forest residents should be outraged. We should not give a pass to someone that is capable of doing these types of things and then trying to sweep them up under the rug. I think we all as Park Forest should be outraged. We pay very high property taxes here for the community to understand and find out that this situation is going on that we’re being sued. That’s going to do more harm in the pockets of the taxpayers," Trustee Randall White said.   

White, who is running for mayor in next April's election, said he is proposing that the village board take a vote of no confidence in Woods.

What's next:

The next court hearing is scheduled to take place after the April election.

The Village of Park Forest said it does not comment on pending litigation.