A retired Joliet police sergeant seeks $325,000 in damages in a federal trial next week over his claims that a former colleague caused his false arrest in 2022.

After failing to reach a settlement, a three-day trial for Dwayne Killian is expected to begin Oct. 22 at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago.

Plainfield attorney John Schrock is representing Killian in his trial against retired Joliet Police Sgt. Ed Grizzle, both of whom were colleagues on the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force.

Killian filed a lawsuit that claimed Grizzle caused his false arrest in 2022 on a charge of theft of a forklift, which Killian stored on his property, despite the lack of probable cause for that arrest.

Since 2022, court records in Will County, Grundy County and federal court have not shown any charges filed against Killian.

The forklift had been seized by the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force. Killian denied stealing the forklift, and he claimed that he agreed to return it at the request of Grizzle.

Itasca law firm Hervas, Condon and Bersani will represent Grizzle and the city at trial. Grizzle denied that he did not have probable cause for Killian’s arrest and denied that Killian sustained damages over the incident.

Killian claims that he suffered $100,000 in damages for his alleged wrongful arrest and $225,000 for his loss of employment, according to exhibits filed in a final pretrial order Thursday.

Killian also seeks an award of punitive damages.

On Oct. 2, U.S. District Judge LaShonda Hunt denied a motion from the city’s attorneys to limit certain evidence because it was filed past the deadline.

In that motion, the city’s attorneys sought to bar any testimony regarding political conspiracies alleging that Killian was targeted by former Joliet City Manager James Capparelli because Capparelli didn’t like Killian or his wife, who worked for the city at the time.

In Killian’s deposition, he mentioned the Joliet City Council in 2021 rejecting Capparelli’s plan to pull the city out of the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force.

Killian publicly defended the task force at a City Council meeting. Killian said Capparelli “wasn’t happy” because he “didn’t make him look very good,” according to his deposition.

In another deposition, an administrative assistant for the task force said Killian told her that Capparelli didn’t like his wife. She said there were “issues with some employees” at the city, and Killian’s wife was “basically like a witness to things that happened.”

The city’s attorneys said Killian’s “speculative hearsay” would confuse the jury and would distract from the core legal issues.