Kane Judge Noland sues Geneva blogger for more than $100K

A Kane County judge is suing a Geneva blogger, alleging he made a false claim of adultery and seeking more than $100,000 in damages, according to the complaint.

Circuit Judge Michael Noland filed his complaint against Jeffrey Ward Feb. 13.

When reached by phone, Ward said he could not comment.

“I have not been served with a lawsuit,” he said. “It is impossible to comment.”

Noland is a former State Senator and was elected as a judge in 2018 and in 2024.

The two-count complaint alleges defamation per se – that is, the words themselves are defamatory on their face – and false light invasion of privacy, and seeks more than $50,000 on each.

“Noland does not seek to prevent Ward from expressing his viewpoints or political commentary, but rather, Noland seeks to clear his name from the false and vile allegation of adultery in Ward’s article,” according to the complaint. “In fact, Noland does not and has never cheated on his wife, as Ward stated.”

Ward knew or reasonably should have known that the statements in his blog were false and acted negligently and/or in reckless disregard for the truth, according to the complaint.

“Ward is known to publish misleading, false and malicious posts about Noland and other members of the judiciary in general, including specific comments questioning Noland’s competence, impartiality and truthfulness,” according to the complaint.

In a Jan. 31, 2025, blog post, Ward went beyond professional criticism when he claimed that Noland cheats on his wife, according to the complaint.

“Given the value Noland places on his family, and the falsity of Ward’s statements, this lawsuit was necessary, as such conduct cannot be tolerated in a civilized society without the perpetrator being held legally responsible for his defamatory statements,” according to the complaint. “The statement that Noland’s hobbies include cheating on his wife, which is presented as fact in the article, is patently false.”

Noland’s other purported hobbies – as listed in Ward’s blog – of pathologically lying and making up the law, are also false, according to the complaint.

The blog post, attached to the complaint as Exhibit A, is no longer up on the blog.

Ward does not provide any source of information for his false claims, according to the complaint.

The next step is a case management conference on May 1, court records show.