A decide this week dismissed a defamation lawsuit introduced by a Southwest Side councilman towards his newest election opponent.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25, sued Aida Flores, a 2023 City Council candidate, over claims she didn’t repeatedly advocate tasks within the ward for the $1.5 million given to aldermen to spend on road enhancements. capital. Judge Jerry A. Esrig dominated Thursday that Flores’ feedback weren’t defamatory.
Esrig additionally denied Flores’ movement to label Sigcho-Lopez’s lawsuit as a strategic effort to silence criticism. Despite this determination, Flores accused the Plzeň councilor of making an attempt to repress dissent in an announcement shared with the Tribune.
“It is unacceptable for a legislator to abuse our authorized system to try to silence criticism on this method,” Flores stated. “I’ll proceed to battle alongside the group to reveal his ineffective management and the numerous harms he has induced to the neighborhood and residents.”
Sigcho-Lopez instructed the Tribune he believes Flores defamed him. He accused Flores of a “Trumpian” try to unfold lies.
“He tried to make use of false info to essentially change the course of the election,” he stated. “He nonetheless owes the general public an apology.”
Sigcho-Lopez filed the lawsuit in February, almost a full 12 months after defeating Flores by 4,201 votes to three,734 within the election showdown.
The second-term councilor pointed to Esrig’s determination to not designate his lawsuit as a “strategic lawsuit towards public participation” to argue that, though he misplaced the case, it was filed in good religion. He is contemplating interesting, he added.
“I’m a giant believer in First Amendment rights,” Sigcho-Lopez stated. “We have a duty as elected officers to ensure we distinguish between First Amendment rights and false and deceptive info.”
According to the indictment, Flores stated in social media posts every week earlier than the February 2023 election that Sigcho-Lopez’s alleged failure to advocate spending so-called “menu cash” demonstrated “ineffective management.” The public college administrator cited public paperwork that he stated supported his declare that the incumbent commissioner had not made a single request to make use of his cash.
“Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez has obtained lots of consideration for talking out on essential points,” she wrote. “However, his ineffectiveness as a councilor has failed our group, put residents in danger, and blocked our potential to advance the our progressive agenda.”
Sigcho-Lopez claims he really budgeted his menu cash — and stated he has the proof to show it.
The alderman’s workplace on Friday shared emails despatched by employees in 2022 and 2023 to Chicago Department of Transportation officers that included requests for a whole lot of particular expenditures of menu cash. Meanwhile, public information present that just about all the division’s menu cash has been spent in yearly Sigcho-Lopez has held the place.
The Pilsen councilor, recognized for his fiery speeches and willingness to harshly criticize opponents, has confronted sturdy reactions this 12 months.
He resisted the April vote that stripped him of the Housing Committee chairmanship, however in the end didn’t move. His opponents on the time argued he was unfit to serve within the position after he spoke at a rally in entrance of an American flag that had beforehand been burned by a army veteran to protest American army help for Israel’s warfare efforts in Gaza.
This summer time, Mayor Brandon Johnson tried to nominate Sigcho-Lopez to the highly effective chair of the zoning board, however aldermen successfully blocked the transfer by refusing to help the nomination.
Sigcho-Lopez additionally filed a voter fraud lawsuit towards the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners and Flores simply days after the February 2023 municipal elections. In preemptive problem to election outcomes that weren’t but out, she stated Flores’ declare that he would quickly obtain sufficient mail-in ballots to win may solely have come true due to electoral malpractices.
He shared greater than 30 allegations — together with that voters from exterior the precinct had solid ballots and that “quite a few” ballots had by no means been counted — however withdrew the case after being declared the winner of the election.
jsheridan@chicagotribune.com
Originally revealed:
