Sen Hastings, Family Being Sued For “Mob Actions” And Conspiring To Prevent Voting During Township Caucus –

Orland, Ill. (ECWd) –

A 10-Count federal civil rights lawsuit has been filed in the Northern District of Illinois, naming Defendants as Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings, Orland Hills Mayor Kyle Hastings, Orland Hills Village Trustee Kyle Hastings II, Orland Township Clerk Cindy Murray, Village of Orland Hills and its Police Department, and Orland Township. The named Defendants are members of the “Orland Township United Party.”

This stems from a December 3, 2025, Township Caucus of the “Orland Township Together Party” to slate candidates for township offices in the 2026 election, of which all of the Plaintiffs are members.

From the Complaint:

• On December 3, 2024, a group of citizens gathered to conduct a lawful political caucus when a mob, led by government officials from a rival political party, descended upon the caucus site.
• These officials and their mob were not there to participate in the political process; they came to suppress it. Acting in conspiracy, they used physical and verbal intimidation tactics to prevent the caucus, being held by members of their rival political party, from successfully assembling, speaking, and voting for their slate of candidates.
• This lawsuit seeks redress for the harm caused by this unlawful abuse of power, in violation of federal and state laws.
• On information and belief, Defendant-Senator Hastings and other Defendants used government funds to carry out their misconduct, including the bus transport, videographer, and as-yet unknown expenses.
• Some Defendants remained outside the venue, where they intentionally caused confusion among arriving caucusgoers. For example, when caucusgoers arrived and stated that they were there for the OTT caucus or “for Paul,” a reference to Plaintiff Paul O’Grady, the OTU slate and individual Defendants fraudulently told caucusgoers that the event was actually outside, not inside the venue.
• Some Defendants also presented these legitimate caucusgoers with sham affidavits in support of OTT in an attempt to aid Defendants in diverting them from participating in the legitimate caucus inside.
• Defendant-Senator Hastings was openly using his title as Illinois State Senator and his status as a lawyer to guide the mob of people he had brought to the caucus, making statements such as “I’m their lawyer” in response to Plaintiffs’ requests for them to register for the event before entering.
• By this point, the lobby had filled up with Defendant-Senator Hastings’ mob, none of them willing to abide by the required registration process and blocking the entrance to the event.
• In response to Plaintiff O’Grady’s requests to simply follow the rules, at one point Defendant-Senator Hastings moved toward the caucus room doors, and close to Plaintiff O’Grady’s face said, “F*** you, I don’t care.”
• At this escalation, Plaintiffs Odeh, Lynch, Maratea, Feldner, Fuesel, and Hawksworth then went to Plaintiff O’Grady’s side and began to back up, as Defendant-Senator Hastings and his mob pushed forward to gain entry, screaming threats in Plaintiffs’ faces.
• At some point during this physical altercation, Defendant-Senator Hastings left where the mob was gathered, in search of an alternative way to gain unauthorized access into the caucus room. Hastings found a side entrance where he attempted to go into the caucus room.
• While outside the caucus room, Defendant-Senator Hastings made additional profane comments to Plaintiff O’Grady, including, “shut your f***ing mouth” and stating that he did not care about the check-in process.
• Defendant-Senator Hastings continued to verbally tout his status as a State Senator and a member of the Illinois bar to convince the Orland Park Police that he and his mob were legally permitted to enter the caucus room without complying with the required check-in process.
• Defendant-Senator Hastings made statements to the police that he knew were false, including that Plaintiff O’Grady was legally barred from participating in the caucus, and also knowingly made false statements that he was the OTT Party Chairman, despite knowing that Plaintiff O’Grady was the OTT Party Chairman.
• Orland Park Police Officers then notified Defendant-Senator Hastings and his mob that they had to leave the venue. Nevertheless, Defendant-Senator Hastings and his mob were still largely blocking the entrance to the caucus venue from the inside and the outside, disregarding police orders, and preventing legitimate caucusgoers from entering.
• Mayor Kyle Hastings, who had been the Mayor of Orland Hills for decades, pulled up in a marked Orland Hills police cruiser, accompanied by at least one as-yet unknown Village of Orland Hills uniformed police officer. Mayor Hastings attempted to enter the caucus room by force despite being legally barred from participating in the caucus. Defendant-Mayor Hastings tried to physically push past Plaintiff O’Grady in the same manner Defendant-Senator Hastings had done.

According to the complaint, the Hastings mob continued its activities outside the venue in the parking lot using a microphone and loudspeaker, declaring the caucus was actually outside and directing attendees to sign sham affidavits pledging support to fraudulent candidates. A few days later, when attempting to file the legitimate candidate list, the township clerk told O’Grady that another (fraudulent) slate had already filed its paperwork as the alleged Orland Township Together Party.

A later Electoral Board Hearing on objections removed this fraudulent slate from the ballot and placed the legitimate slate on the ballot.

The Counts in this case include:  First Amendment Retaliation, Civil Conspiracy, a Monell claim of Constitutional Violation by Final Policy Maker against Mayor Hastings and Village of Orland Hills, Deprivation of Constitutional Rights, Conspiracy to Prevent Voting, Defamation Per Se against Sen Hastings, False Light against Sen Hastings, Willful and Wanton Conduct, Indemnification against Orland Hills, and Indemnification against Orland Township.

Defendants should respond to this Complaint sometime next week.