New Judge Chosen In Lawsuit Filed By Councilman Ben Giles

A new date and a new judge have been released in the lawsuit filed by current councilmember Ben Giles against the City of Fond du Lac.

Winnebago County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Bissett has announced a telephone scheduling conference for May 25, 2021 at 8:15 a.m. Judge Tricia Walker was originally set to review the case but recused herself on April 23 so as to avoid any appearance of impropriety, due to the fact that the chairman of the Ethics Board at the time, Paul Csizny, is now a Circuit Court Judge.

Giles filed the civil suit against the city back on March 1, asking for a reversal, based on judicial review, of the findings the City of Fond du Lac Ethics Board made back in February.

Giles claims the decision made by the board negatively affects him. The Ethics Board made the decision that Giles violated one of the sections of the city’s Code of Ethics, and specifically one of the sections of the city of Fond du Lac’s Code of Ethics regarding dedicated service. At issue was Giles seeking outside legal input on whether he needed to recuse himself from voting on matters involving the Alternative Master Plan for Lakeside Park.