Park Forest Mayor Joseph Woods has taken the unusual step of suing his own village government, demanding that local taxpayers reimburse the legal fees and defense costs he racked up fighting a civil lawsuit tied to a 2024 confrontation outside a downtown barbecue restaurant. The dispute pits the sitting mayor directly against the municipality he leads over who should foot the bill for his legal defense.
According to FOX 32 Chicago, Woods sued the Village of Park Forest over legal fees stemming from a lawsuit filed by the family that owns All-Out Smoke Pit, following a confrontation that occurred in 2024. Woods filed the suit in September, according to The Chicagoland Journal, formally demanding that taxpayers cover legal costs arising from the civil case against him.
The central dispute is whether Park Forest should reimburse Woods for his legal costs.
What Happened Outside the Smoke Pit
The origins of the fight trace back to August 6, 2024, when Woods arrived at the rear parking lot of All-Out Smoke Pit in downtown Park Forest following a nearby building fire. A confrontation broke out after the restaurant owners' teenage daughter refused to shake his hand, according to South Suburban News.
What followed were two starkly different accounts filed with police. Restaurant owners Antiwone and Shalonda Hardy filed a police report on August 12, 2024, accusing Woods of pushing Antiwone Hardy. Woods filed his own report three days later, on August 15, 2024, claiming he acted in self-defense and alleging he had been threatened with a knife, per South Suburban News. No criminal charges were ultimately filed following the police investigation.
The Hardys’ civil case names Antiwone Hardy, Shalonda Hardy and their minor daughter, Kylah, as plaintiffs, with Woods and the Village of Park Forest listed as defendants. Filed in Cook County on August 4, 2025, it is classified as a personal-injury tort case with a jury demand. The case is separate from the later dispute over Woods’ defense costs. The court docket listing identifies the parties and filing date.
Business Owners Took Their Case to the Village Board
The fallout from the parking lot altercation didn't stay contained to a police blotter. During Park Forest Board of Trustees meetings in January and June 2025, Shalonda and Antiwone Hardy publicly addressed village trustees, raising concerns about family safety, emotional trauma, and discrepancies in media coverage of the incident, according to official Village of Park Forest meeting records.
In January 2026, trustees introduced revisions to the municipal Rules of Order, cutting public comment limits from five minutes to three minutes per person and adding a visual countdown timer for speakers, the village says.
Meanwhile, the Hardys' business has kept growing. All-Out Smoke Pit expanded beyond Park Forest in May 2026, opening a second location at 7101 W. 183rd Street in nearby Tinley Park.
The Legal Question at the Heart of the Fight
The Legal Question at the Heart of the Fight Woods' lawsuit asks whether Park Forest should reimburse him for legal costs tied to the civil case.
Illinois law makes the scope of a public employee’s job central to municipal liability: a local government must pay a tort judgment or settlement, and may pay related legal fees, when an employee is liable for conduct within the scope of employment. The law also permits municipalities to insure against liability and retain counsel for covered claims; it does not make every legal bill an automatic public obligation. Park Forest’s determination that Woods was not acting in his official capacity puts that question at the heart of the case. The Illinois Tort Immunity Act sets out those provisions.
Woods, who was elected mayor in April 2023 after serving as a village trustee since 2019 and previously as a library trustee and the village's Poet Laureate, succeeded former Mayor Jonathan Vanderbilt, according to the Village of Park Forest. His broader tenure has included addressing fiscal pressures facing residents; in July 2024, Woods issued a statement on Cook County property tax reassessments, noting that shifting tax burdens in School District 163 were creating significant financial anxiety for local homeowners, per the village.
Any reimbursement Woods wins would be paid by the village. The case remains before the courts, with Woods seeking reimbursement for his defense costs.
The legal dispute is unfolding ahead of Park Forest’s next mayoral election in April 2027. Trustee Randall White, who is running for mayor, has said he plans to propose a board vote of no confidence in Woods, adding a political test to the fight over whether village funds should cover the mayor’s defense. The village says it does not comment on pending litigation. White’s campaign and proposal were described by FOX 32 Chicago.
