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Hastings files lawsuit against Frankfort police after politicized domestic violence report released

Lawsuit filed by Senator Michael Hastings against Frankfort Police Department seeks discovery due to a dissemination of a fabricated police report to influence November 8 elections

State Senator Michael Hastings filed a lawsuit seeking discovery from the Frankfort Police Department to determine whether any Frankfort employees republished defamatory statements about him by releasing, without authorization, a fabricated police report. The report contains false claims by his estranged wife to pressure him during his divorce proceedings during his re-election campaign.

Hastings, filed for divorce against his wife because of her infidelity with another man — an eight month-long secret affair. The police report she filed contains multiple falsehoods involving “domestic violence” which never occurred.

The police report as written accuses Hastings of an alleged event that occurred seven months prior to his wife making the statement to the police, to which, Senator Hastings vehemently denies. Then she explicitly stated that she did not want police to investigate the matter, nor did she want the senator to be interviewed. Further, no investigation was conducted by the Frankfort Police Department and the matter was closed.

The divorce proceedings began in 2021 after Hastings discovered that his wife was having a long term, eight-month secret affair with another individual. This came to light after Senator Hastings discovered excessive amounts of text messages and late-night phone calls, some of which lasted more than two hours after midnight, in addition to geolocation information pinning his estranged wife at her paramour’s residence.

Illinois Senator Michael Hastings. Courtesy of Senator Hastings

To make matters worse, Hasting’s wife then contacted two of his known political adversaries’ and conspired with them to smear and defame him to gain a litigation advantage during the divorce proceedings through an underhanded pressure campaign.

“My whole focus has been to ensure that in this unfortunate divorce proceedings, the interests of our two young children are protected and they would be spared from this trauma,” Hastings said.

“But, someone within the Frankfort Police Department, working with my wife, produced a police report to which I was never contacted or investigated, in which my wife makes false allegations of domestic violence that never occurred. That information was then intentionally leaked to the news media in a sinister attempt to influence the elections, hurt me politically by tarnishing my reputation, and turning the divorce around to blame the divorce on me by using these false domestic violence accusations. She wanted to turn her infidelity away from herself and put it all on me.”

Hastings, an Iraq war veteran who served as State Senator for the 19th District for 10 years, said that the sole purpose of the false police report was to create a political narrative that could be used to undermine his re-election campaign.

“To exploit a family’s personal problems for political gain is reprehensible, and I will be filing subsequent legal actions to defend my reputation in the court of law” Hastings said.

“Divorce is a tragic end to what began as a beautiful relationship and marriage with two beautiful young children. Unfortunately, husbands and wives drift apart for different reasons, in this case in a very hurtful manner which made our marriage irreconcilable. My wife, and possibly the Frankfort Police Department, are responsible for disseminating false and hurtful lies about marriage and about me. The harms resulting from this false police report, which was not investigated and did not include any factual interviews nor my responses, falls on my wife, and possibly the Frankfort Police Department.”

Hastings, who was born and raised in Orland Hills with five siblings, graduated from Andrew High school and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

While attending the Academy, Hastings studied Business Management and Civil Engineering as well as playing football on Army’s Division I football team.

On Sept. 11, 2001, during his junior year, al-Qaeda terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York. Hastings was in military leadership class when his instructor told the class they would be deployed to war and engaged in a prolonged war on many different battlefields.

Hastings rose to the rank of Captain and was deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism to Iraq on July 4, 2006, as a part of “the Surge.”

Throughout his deployment, Hastings served as the Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General of the 1st Infantry Division (Forward), coordinating air, ground and security movements throughout Iraq. For meritorious service in a combat zone, Hastings was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and 1st Infantry Division combat patch.

After ten years of distinguished service Hastings was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. He immediately began working in the fastest growing sector within Johnson & Johnson’s medical device division. He led the multi-million-dollar turnaround of a failing midwestern territory following the recession. Within his first years with Johnson & Johnson, he was ranked as a top-tier employee and was awarded the “Salesman of the Year” Award.

In 2009, Hastings was elected to the High School District 230 School Board. In November 2012, Hastings was elected to represent the 19th Illinois Senate District where he continues to serve the interests of homeowners, families, young people, businesses and senior citizens.

The 19th State Senate District includes portions of Homer Glen, Tinley Park, Mokena, Frankfort, New Lenox, and Orland Hills.

FILED LEGAL DOCUMENTS/CASE FILES

Hastings Answer with Exhibit

Hastings Frankfort-PD-FOIA-Complaint-Redacted

Hastings Legal doc07753120220809154321

(Press release)