Marty Shanahan Settles 6-Figure Lawsuit With City Of Joliet

JOLIET, IL — More than a month after the Joliet City Council voted 5-4 to reject a wrongful termination settlement for nearly $123,000 with former city of Joliet corporation counsel Marty Shanahan, the city has worked out a financial settlement to resolve Shanahan's lawsuit at the Will County Courthouse.

Sources told Joliet Patch the settlement is about $200,000 for Shanahan, who has retained the Naperville law firm of Shawn Collins. As part of the settlement, Shanahan agrees he will not apply for any jobs at the city of Joliet for at least a couple years, Patch has learned.

Earlier this week, Joliet Patch called Shanahan, and he would not discuss his lawsuit, but he did inform Joliet Patch's editor that he will not be running for an at-large seat on the Joliet City Council in the April 6 races.

Shanahan was one of the first people in the city of Joliet to obtain paperwork with the city clerk's office seeking to run for Joliet City Council in the April races. This week, a number of people have been turning in their petitions to get their names on the election ballot.

On Oct. 29, Joliet Patch reported that the City Council would be voting whether to approve a $122,896 settlement for Shanahan to avoid a costly wrongful termination lawsuit from the city's former legal counsel and two-time interim city manager.

In 2015, Shanahan was hired by now-former Mayor Tom Giarrante as Joliet's corporation counsel. In 2017, Shanahan served as interim city manager from May through November of that year and again from October 2018 through June 2019. At that time, the Joliet City Council's Pat Mudron 5 coalition agreed to oust him as city manager and send him back to the city's legal department.

Back in May, the Mudron 5's replacement interim city manager, Steve Jones, fired Shanahan from City Hall. By August, Jones left the city of Joliet and nowadays, Jim Hock is serving as interim city manager.

Like what you're reading? Invite a friend to subscribe to free Joliet Patch newsletters and real-time email alerts.