State Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Frankfort, and Reps. Robert “Bob” Rita, D-Blue Island, and Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, used campaign finance funds to cover attorneys fees in various legal matters last year, campaign finance reports show.
The most recent campaign reports, detailing expenses between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, shows Hastings’ political committee, Citizens for Michael E Hastings, spent about $78,000 on attorneys fees.
Friends of Robert “Bob” Rita spent about $60,000 on legal fees while Jones for State Representative spent $8,500. During the same period, Rita’s committee spent a total of $227,825 and had $456,263 left at the end of the quarter.
Jones’s committee spent $40,412 and had $18,724 left at the end of the quarter. Hastings’ committee spent $83,873 and had $220,528 left.
Rita’s committee paid $13,050 to law firm Saul, Ewing, Arnstein and Lehr and $6,750 to Taft, Stettinius and Hollister Nov. 26. The committee paid another $40,222 to Taft, Stettinius and Hollister Dec. 24.
A spokesperson for Rita said the three payments were for legal services related to a lawsuit the representative brought against Tinley Park, Orland Township and village and township officials in 2023. Rita voluntarily dismissed the case in June after U.S. District Court Judge Heather McShain ordered Tinley Park and Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz, both defendants in the lawsuit, to pay legal fees incurred by Rita, the spokesperson said.
Hastings’ committee paid Amundsen Davis law firm $35,000 on both Oct. 2 and Nov. 5. The committee also paid Odelson, Sterk, Murphey and Frazier $8,000 Nov. 17. Attorney Ryan Jacobson from Amundsen Davis said the payments covered attorneys fees for two ongoing lawsuits the senator brought against political opponents.
Jones’ committee paid $1,000 on Nov. 21 and $7,500 on Nov. 30 to Patterson Law Firm. The firm specializes in business law, according to its website.
A spokesperson for Jones did not respond to requests for comment.
Rita’s lawsuit
Rita’s federal lawsuit alleged his constitutional rights were denied because he was blocked from taking part in or holding community events in Tinley Park and Orland Township.
Rita alleged his right of free speech as well as his right to due process under the constitution were violated and had sought an emergency order from a federal judge asking that he be allowed to take part in a National Night Out event, which the judge denied.
U.S. District Court Judge Manish Shah said while Rita had sought a table identifying himself at the National Night Out event, he was not barred from taking part in a public event, whatever his capacity.
The lawsuit also alleged village officials twice denied applications by Rita to hold shredding events last year in Tinley Park, something he had organized for several years. The complaint said village officials cited traffic and safety concerns in denying a special event permit for the shred event.
Ahead of the lawsuit’s voluntary dismissal in June, Judge McShain ordered Tinley Park and Glotz in April to pay “reasonable expenses incurred in bringing the motion,” according to court filings.
McShain said defendants were not justified in multiple delays in responding to Rita’s motions and communications, leading her to grant their motion to pay attorneys fees.
Rita in his dismissal of complaints against Tinley Park and Glotz said the he continues to maintain he has the right to attend and participate in publicly funded village events so he can be accessible to his constituents.
Hastings’ ongoing lawsuits
Two lawsuits Hastings brought against an opponent in his 2024 reelection campaign as well as republican operatives he accused of sending obscene text messages ahead of a 2022 election remain ongoing.
One of the cases, filed in February 2025, alleges a conspiracy to “execute a malicious text-message campaign designed to defame, humiliate and harass” Hastings leading up to the Nov. 8, 2022, election.
In that race, Hastings faced Republican challenger Patrick Sheehan, Hastings’ first challenger in a general election in a decade.
The outcome wasn’t decided until several days after the election, with Sheehan conceding to Hastings and voting results showing Hastings ending up on top with fewer than 1,000 votes out of more than 82,000 ballots cast.
Timothy Pawula is named as a defendant along with Glotz, who is being sued individually and not in his capacity as Tinley Park mayor. Pawula formerly worked for the Big Tent Coalition, a political action committee also named as a defendant.
The committee was founded by Tim Ozinga, R-Mokena, who was state representative in the 37th House District before abruptly resigning in April 2024.
Pawula is also a defendant in an ongoing criminal case alleging he sent obscene and harassing text messages ahead of the 2022 election.
The next hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for March 12, with a Cook County judge considering a motion to dismiss filed by the defendants.
A motion to dismiss another suit brought by Samantha Gasca, a Republican candidate who opposed Hastings in the 2024 election, is also pending. The next hearing is scheduled for March 11.
Hastings alleges Gasca and her election committee orchestrated a smear campaign against him. In that election, Hastings won with 56% of the vote to 44% for Gasca, although she suggested there were vote tabulation improprities in Cook County.
In late October 2022, on the cusp of the faceoff between Hastings and Sheehan, court documents were unsealed in his divorce proceedings that portrayed the veteran legislator as being unable to control his anger in front of his children.
In the documents, Hastings’ then ex-wife, Kathleen, alleged Hastings “elbowed Kate in the face in front of the children,” according to court statements her attorney filed in October 2021. Michael Hastings also called her a number of “choice words,” according to the court statements.
Michael Hastings first filed for divorce June 21, 2021, seven years after the couple married in Las Vegas, citing irreconcilable differences. He filed for the case to be sealed July 15, 2021, a motion granted the next day by Will County Judge Derek Ewanic.
The files in the settled case were unsealed following a a court order by Will County Judge Elizabeth Dow stating “the right of public access to court records and proceedings is well established.”
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
