CHICAGO, IL — A Cook County jury has awarded $1.5 million in damages to former Chicago City Council candidate Ebony Lucas, finding that political mailers and texts distributed during the 2023 4th Ward aldermanic race falsely defamed her character and violated legal standards.
Lucas, a local attorney and real estate investor, filed the defamation suit against Ald. Lamont Robinson’s campaign and the 4th Ward Democratic Organization, chaired by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, over what she described as a “coordinated smear campaign.”
The jury ordered both Robinson’s campaign and Preckwinkle’s ward organization to split the damages equally — $1.475 million in total compensation, according to WTTW.
What the Jury Found
The jury concluded that the organizations spread false claims via three mailers and multiple text messages, suggesting Lucas:
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Had unpaid business liens
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Violated Chicago’s landlord-tenant ordinance
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Was a “bad landlord” and “can’t manage her own business“
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Illegally accessed a condo association bank account, a charge that was dismissed years prior
The court documents showed that the business lien referenced in the ads had been resolved in 2021, and no record of landlord violations or court-imposed fines was found — information misrepresented in the political materials, as reported by WTTW.
As part of the ruling:
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$150,000 was awarded for reputational harm
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$75,000 for emotional distress
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$1.25 million in punitive damages
“This verdict is bigger than me,” Lucas said in a public statement. “It is a stand for truth in our elections and a message that lies and defamation will not be tolerated in our democracy.”
Defense Pushes Back
Ald. Robinson called the lawsuit “politically motivated.”
“Residents of the 4th Ward voted for me because they knew I would fight for them… not engage in political theater,” he said.
A representative of the 4th Ward Democratic Organization stated the verdict was legally flawed and said they intend to appeal the jury’s decision.
“We relied on publicly available records,” the spokesperson said, “and never knowingly misrepresented facts.”
Political Context & Background
Lucas has run for the 4th Ward seat three times:
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Losing to former Ald. Sophia King in 2017 and 2019
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Finishing third in 2023 behind Lamont Robinson and Prentice Butler
The original campaign materials at the center of the lawsuit referenced previous issues, including a 2016 legal challenge over a condo association account. That case had already been dismissed with no further action taken, according to Chicago Tribune archives.
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