Next court date for Gotion case set for Aug. 4

A sign welcomes visitors to the entrance of Gotion in Manteno.

The latest court date in a lawsuit filed against the village of Manteno and Gotion’s proposed lithium battery factory was a short one.

Robby Dube, attorney for the Concerned Citizens of Manteno, the plaintiffs, was unable to attend Wednesday’s court date due to a family matter.

Kankakee County Circuit Judge Lindsay Parkhurst reset the date for 9 a.m. Aug. 4.

In May, Parkhurst denied Manteno’s argument that the lawsuit should be dismissed.

She ruled that the lawsuit could continue on three of the 10 counts.

The lawsuit originally was filed in December 2023 regarding Manteno’s rezoning of the then-proposed lithium battery factory at the former Kmart distribution center at 333 S. Spruce St. in Manteno for Gotion, a Chinese manufacturer. Transform Manteno LLC (Gotion) and the village of Manteno are the defendants.