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CITY OF LASALLE, LASALLE COUNTY, STATE’S ATTORNEY NAVARRO, AND CARUS CHEMICAL OFFICIALLY SERVED IN FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS LAWSUIT
LaSalle, Illinois — July 23, 2025
For the first time in city history, the entire power structure of LaSalle has been served in a federal civil rights lawsuit that accuses top officials of corruption, unlawful surveillance, fabricated police reports, and a conspiracy to silence a local whistleblower.
Every named defendant has now been officially served, including the City of LaSalle, LaSalle County, State’s Attorney Joseph Navarro, and Carus Chemical—marking the beginning of what plaintiff Jamie Hicks calls “a long-overdue reckoning.”
The 120-page complaint—filed by Hicks, a LaSalle resident, HAZMAT-trained technician, and independent journalist—lays out a chilling pattern of coordinated retaliation and cover-up following the January 11, 2023 explosion at Carus Chemical. The case alleges violations of the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments, including retaliatory surveillance, excessive force, suppression of public records, and denial of access to the courts.
FILED COMPLAINT FUCK YES 1983 .pdf
AT THE HEART OF THE LAWSUIT:
Hicks’s home, located in LaSalle’s Ward 4, was previously cleaned by the EPA due to heavy metal contamination. After the 2023 explosion, his property—and much of Wards 3 and 4—was recontaminated by chemical fallout, including black crystalline residue and airborne metals.
As Hicks began documenting the fallout and exposing the illegal chemical storage at the Carus-owned “Apollo Warehouse” just behind his home, City and County officials allegedly turned against him. Instead of investigating Carus, the lawsuit claims officials coordinated to brand Hicks as a criminal, destroy his credibility, and erase the threat his findings posed to powerful interests.
“They had the chance to protect the public,” Hicks said. “Instead, they protected Carus. They protected themselves. And they came after me.”
NAMED DEFENDANTS:
Mayor Jeff Grove
Police Chief Michael Smudzinski
Finance Director John Duncan
Deputy Clerk/FOIA Officer Brent Bader
Detective Brian Camenisch
State’s Attorney Joseph Navarro
The City of LaSalle
LaSalle County
Carus LLC
MAJOR RETALIATORY ACTS OUTLINED IN THE COMPLAINT:
Sealed surveillance warrants issued based on fabricated allegations
Seizure of Hicks’s personal phone, minutes before a Carus town hall
Altered police reports and destroyed internal communications
Physical removals from public meetings, despite no rule violations
Weaponized use of the Illinois Workplace Violence Prevention Act (WVPA) to ban Hicks from City property during election season
Coordinated suppression of FOIA records, including deletion of metadata and denial of court access
WHAT THIS CASE IS REALLY ABOUT:
This case is about a community that was left exposed, misled, and silenced—especially in Wards 3 and 4, where residents were told the air was safe while fallout coated homes, yards, and vehicles.
When Hicks raised the alarm—through videos, FOIA requests, and public comments—he was met not with transparency but with retaliation. According to the lawsuit, Carus executives even hand-delivered a “case synopsis” and surveillance file to LaSalle Police in March 2023, directly triggering sealed warrants and a false felony narrative.
“This case is about the people who were lied to and locked out while the City and Carus closed ranks,” Hicks said.
“Now they’re going to face the truth—under oath, in federal court.”
COUNTS BROUGHT UNDER 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 & 1985:
The lawsuit accuses Carus LLC of coordinating directly with City officials, shaping police narratives, ghostwriting statements, and influencing public messaging—while State’s Attorney Navarro’s office signed off on sealed warrants, denied FOIA appeals, and blocked judicial review.
“Navarro wasn’t enforcing the law—he was laundering power and hiding the paper trail,” Hicks said.
🔹 THE ROAD AHEAD:
With every major player now served, the case moves into litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The complaint demands full release of sealed records, injunctive relief to stop future retaliation, and millions in compensatory and punitive damages.
“This is bigger than one man,” Hicks said. “This is about accountability. For what they did to me. For what they did to us.”
The court is watching. The evidence is public. And the people are next.
Follow the full story, documents, and updates at Hicks News @thejamiehicksshow.com
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