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Public commenter alleges undisclosed legal‑fee payments and requests audit; village will follow up
Summary
A member of the public alleged the village paid private plaintiffs’ legal fees and said requested Freedom of Information Act records were inconsistent; the village said staff would follow up with the commenter.
During public comment, Michael Henry alleged the Village of Orland Park had paid legal fees for private plaintiffs in litigation and described inconsistencies in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) responses related to bills from the law firm Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins. Henry said different billing statements had been produced in response to FOIA requests and raised questions about the appearance of donations and legal spending.
Nut graf: The commenter asked for an audit of legal bills and clarification on how private plaintiffs’ documents were funded; village staff said someone would reach out to him after the meeting to follow up.
The village routinely records public comments and staff responded in the meeting that a representative would contact the commenter to address his concerns. The committee did not take any formal action at the meeting on the allegations.
