Judge asks for amended complaint against Wilmette Park District

A Cook County judge on Oct. 31 granted in part the Wilmette Park District’s motion to dismiss a $5 million lawsuit filed on behalf of former employee Elizabeth Cox.

The partial dismissal gives the plaintiff, Kevin Cox, Elizabeth Cox’s husband, until Nov. 27 to file an amended complaint. Cox told The Record that he and his legal representation intend to refile prior to the deadline.

Kevin Cox filed a lawsuit in May that alleges the park district’s and Executive Director Steve Wilson’s unfair and “abusive” treatment of Elizabeth Cox negatively impacted her health up to the day she died in December 2023.

According to the suit, Wilson and the park district in the spring of 2023 forced Cox out of her position as superintendent of human resources and risk management while she was investigating an inappropriate relationship between Wilson and a subordinate.

In the motion to dismiss the lawsuit, the park district said the claims made in the suit are false; however, allegations against Wilson sparked an internal investigation, according to reporting from The Record.

The district says Cox was disciplined for allegedly waiving a training requirement for a colleague in December 2022, and Wilson and the park district reportedly began investigating her and the waiver in January 2023, urging her to resign or face termination in March 2023.

In a statement to The Record, the park district said it was “pleased” with the judge’s recent decision.

According to the Oct. 31 court order, if an amended complaint is filed, the park district has until Dec. 18 to respond. A hearing to continue discussion of the case is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2025.

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