Paul Vallas needs to apologize (Updated x3)
Wednesday, Dec 17, 2025 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Confirmed…
Background…
Former mayoral candidate Paul Vallas filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing a consultant of defrauding his campaign out of hundreds of thousands of dollars that he allegedly falsely claimed was spent on get-out-the-vote efforts in Black communities the former public schools chief ultimately lost.
The suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges Chimaobi Enyia told the campaign he had effectively been given a “blank check” for $700,000 to do campaign work in those communities ahead of the mayoral runoff in April. Enyia was allegedly unable to account for $680,000 he received over a series of payments, and the Vallas campaign is now pushing to recoup all the money Enyia was paid.
The first sign that something was amiss came when Vallas’ campaign filed its latest financial disclosure Monday showing $480,000 of the $500,000 in payments to Enyia’s company, Ikoro LLC, were being “disputed.” Another contested payment for $200,000 came on April 3, after that reporting period had ended, according to the suit.
That Vallas lawsuit is here. It just about ruined Enyia, whose wife was pregnant at the time the complaint was filed. They’ve since had another kid, while having to spend six figures to fend off these attacks.
Vallas rarely takes responsibility for his failures, and that was the case here as well. Somebody else had to be responsible for his loss. So he sued to prove it.
But a summary judgement means the judge went over the evidence and decided that Enyia would likely prevail at trial. The judge could have simply dismissed the case, but that’s not the path chosen here.
…Adding… From comments…
Slight quibble re summary judgment, it’s more than Enyia would “likely” prevail at trial. It’s after discovery there are no material facts in dispute for a factfinder to decide and applying the law to the undisputed facts the only possible outcome is that Enyia wins. So no need for a trial as the case is so one-sided.
* I reached out to Chima yesterday and he politely refused comment, mainly because he’s too classy to carry a public grudge.
Vallas needs to do the decent thing and apologize.
…Adding… Enyia has now issued a response…
I am grateful for the Court’s judgment after a long and difficult two-and-a-half-year journey. This process stretched me, but as Psalm 119 reminds us, even hardship can become a teacher. My focus now is on healing, my family, and continuing the work I’m called to do with integrity and professionalism. I’m thankful for everyone who supported me and I move forward with renewed purpose.
…Adding… The opinion and order by Associate Judge James E. Hanlon Jr. is here.
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 11:24 am:
“Vallas needs to do the decent thing and apologize”
I’m not going to hold my breath.
I’ll never forget the politicians who lined up behind this self-promoting con-artist and tried to make the case that he was some kind of wise technocrat who can take on the big decisions. Paul Vallas’ entire career has been about running away from responsibility and pinning the blame on others. Many hide behind the binary of “Vallas vs. Johnson,” but it took years of normalizing his reputation and treating him like a serious player that lead to that.
- Big Dipper - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 11:26 am:
Slight quibble re summary judgment, it’s more than Enyia would “likely” prevail at trial. It’s after discovery there are no material facts in dispute for a factfinder to decide and applying the law to the undisputed facts the only possible outcome is that Enyia wins. So no need for a trial as the case is so one-sided.
- Almost the Weekend - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 11:30 am:
I wasn’t sure able to find it, but was all the money accounted for from Enyia? This was a playbook from the Rahm campaign but just poor decision and execution by everyone involved.
Amateur Hour all around, Johnson probably the worst mayor in Chicago’s history somehow ran a better campaign than Vallas.
- Change Agent - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 11:45 am:
Rich, given this outcome, I would hope that you wouldn’t allow commenters to continue to smear Enyia with the accusations made in this lawsuit without actual independent facts to back them up.
- Google is Your Friend - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 11:50 am:
Accountability and responsibility are antonyms of Paul Vallas.
- Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 11:50 am:
“Vallas rarely takes responsibility for his failures”
Rarely? I guess there was that one time his campaign was liking white nationalist posts. And that was merely a campaign issue, not the horrendous fiscal failures that seem to haunt him where ever he goes.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 12:00 pm:
===his campaign was liking white nationalist posts===
Didn’t he claim he was hacked or something?
- DuPage Saint - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 12:07 pm:
I assume a lawsuit alleging malpractice by his attorney will be filed shortly /S
- Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 12:13 pm:
He did say he was hacked, but apologized anyway.
‘While I had nothing to do with liking these posts, our campaign takes responsibility and apologizes, and we want it to be clear that we have already taken immediate steps to restrict access to the account to prevent anything like this from happening again,’ he said.
- Stephanie Kollmann - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 12:16 pm:
==While I had nothing to do with liking these posts, our campaign takes responsibility and apologizes, and we want it to be clear that we have already taken immediate steps to restrict access to the account to prevent anything like this from happening again,’ he said.==
But then it happened again
“No one has access to my Twitter account and yes I was hacked again and will change my password yet again. Let me restate again that I don’t tweet likes or dislikes.”
- Anyone Remember - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 12:32 pm:
Not holding my breath on an apology. He’s been yelling at the clouds too long.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 12:32 pm:
Apologies are nice, but a little lame when you have to spend tons of money to defend yourself from what now appears to be a groundless suit. Not familiar with laws on paying a successful defendant’s legal costs, Vallas should be paying up.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 12:34 pm:
===Not familiar with laws on paying a successful defendant’s legal costs===
Nothing in this state except a SLAPP suit (too late to file that now) or the judge dings the Vallas lawyers.
- Head in Sand - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 12:54 pm:
Paul Vallas has been seen by many as a competent guy for almost three decades but when you take a look at his career it is filled with loss after loss after loss. Seems he’s always falling short.
- Back to the Mountains - Wednesday, Dec 17, 25 @ 12:54 pm:
+1 on the summary judgment distinction. The Court is saying that no rational juror could conclude, based on the evidence that has been unearthed in discovery, that Vallas should win this suit.
Also, summary judgment on a fraud claim is no small feat. Fraud requires intent, and courts routinely leave questions of intent to the jury. So while summary judgment in any context is significant, SJ on a fraud claim is even more significant.