(The Center Square) – A court has allowed a lawsuit by Concerned Citizens of Manteno to proceed to trial against Gotion and the Village of Manteno.
According to Amanda Piker, co-founder of Concerned Citizens of Manteno, the judge dismissed three claims, specifically related to spot and contract zoning, but allowed the more substantial allegations, including improper rezoning and environmental safety issues, to proceed.
“This was a huge win,” said Piker, a leading voice in the opposition movement. “Everything we need is moving forward. We’ve been saying all along that what’s happening isn’t right, and now the court agrees there’s enough here to proceed.”
Citizens are alarmed by chemicals planned for the facility, especially NMP [N-Methylpyrrolidone], called “the most dangerous” by Piker. She also questioned the qualifications of village staff acting as both code enforcers and project approvers.
“The village administrator is doing both roles, and he’s approving everything. What are his credentials?” Piker said.
She added that the judge criticized the chemical review documents provided by the village.
“The judge basically said, ‘the court will decide whether these chemicals are dangerous,’” she said.
Gotion and the village have 45 days to respond. Plaintiffs hope discovery will uncover more about environmental risks, chemical use and internal dealings.
Piker said anti-Gotion candidates won four of five recent local races, signaling voter support, but pro-Gotion voting-majority power means the project may still move forward.
“I do believe that our new mayor and our new trustees are going to hold the others accountable,” said Piker.
Piker shared a nondisclosure agreement she obtained after months of seeking transparency, saying it was used to hide key project details from the public. It was signed by Jones Lang LaSalle and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
“The Kankakee Economic Alliance was brought in under the NDA, but no one ever officially signed it,” said Piker. “They were just acting under it. I even have emails where our village administrator wouldn’t mention the company by name. No one was supposed to say the company’s name.”
In an August 2023 email, village administrator Chris LaRocque sent to former mayor Tim Nugent, LaRocque referred to Gotion as the “battery manufacturer.”
LaRocque, in a 2023 email, informed Nugent that a reporter had called him and used the name of the company.
“I did not reveal who the manufacturer was, he stated the name on his [the reporter] own… I think the word is getting out,” the email said.
JLL was working on behalf of Gotion. Gotion’s $536 million incentive package from DCEO is among the largest in state history.
