There was a ton of activity in SeanPaul “Long Island Audit” Reyes’ newly revived lawsuit against the city of Berwyn, Illinois, as the YouTuber has officially filed a pro se appeal of both the outcome of the lawsuit and a recent order by the court.
The lawsuit was originally filed by Reyes after a 2021 incident where Reyes was arrested for disorderly conduct for filming within the Berwyn city hall. While the charges were later dropped, Reyes sued as he felt his civil rights were violated.
Lingering for several years, the case was eventually dismissed earlier this year as the judge in the case found that qualified immunity covered most of Reyes’ accusations, and that Reyes had submitted altered video as part of his case against the defendants.
The case was semi-revived, however, when Reyes published the deposition of City Administrator Ruth Sabia-Green on his YouTube channel in a negative “reaction” type video. Reyes had previously been allowed to video record the depositions by the defense under court order that those videos would never be used on his YouTube channel.
Reyes’ actions resulted in an emergency motion to the Court, Reyes was forced to remove the video from his channel, and he later recorded a video lashing out at judges in America for being “too powerful.”
Almost simultaneous with the judge’s order for Reyes to remove the video, Reyes’ attorney, Gregory E. Kulis, filed paperwork to withdraw from the case, citing unresolvable differences with his client. This was followed by Reyes putting out an attack video on all parties involved in the lawsuit, with Reyes putting full blame for his actions on Kulis.
While the Judge had granted an emergency motion ordering Reyes to remove the video, she had punted on the other issues, including Kulis quitting the case, until a hearing scheduled for February 19, 2025.
This was followed by Kulis filing an amended complaint on behalf of Reyes, which was the same as his original complaint, which had been previously dismissed, except that it now listed Reyes as a resident of New York state.
Last Friday, the defense received an unexpected Valentine’s gift from Judge Maria Valdez, with a minute order stating:
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Maria Valdez: Any relief Plaintiff intended to request by the refiling of the First Amended Complaint [122] is denied. Plaintiff’s counsel is directed to forward a copy of this order to Plaintiff forthwith. Mailed notice.
On Wednesday, the hearing for Kulis’ withdrawal was held and Kulis was allowed to leave the case as long as he reminded Reyes to tow the line and reply pro se to the emergency motion by March 5, 2025:
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Maria Valdez: Hearing held on Attorney Gregory Kulis’s Motion to Withdraw as Counsel 118 . For the reasons stated in open court, the motion is granted. Plaintiff’s former counsel is directed to remind Plaintiff that court orders are to be followed, and failure to do so could result in further sanctions. Plaintiff’s response to Defendants’ Motion Emergency Motion for Order Directed to Plaintiff Sean Reyes to Remove Videotaped Deposition from His YouTube Channel; Compel Reyes to Comply with Prior Court Orders; and for Sanctions 115 is due by 3/5/25, and Defendants’ reply is due 3/12/25. A hearing may be set at a later date if necessary. Mailed notice.
And then things got weird.
Reyes submitted his pro se appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit asking for a review of both the summary judgment that ended the case and the order from last year limiting his use of the depositions on his YouTube channel.
While the appeal was filed on February 19, it’s dated February 12, 2025, and says it was filed just in time to meet the 30-day cutoff point after the Court’s final decision.
Because of this, Judge Valdez was forced to issue a second-minute order for the day:
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Maria Valdez: In light of the apparent filing of a Notice of Appeal 126, briefing schedule on Defendants’ Motion Emergency Motion for Order Directed to Plaintiff Sean Reyes to Remove Videotaped Deposition from His YouTube Channel; Compel Reyes to Comply with Prior Court Orders; and for Sanctions 115 is stayed, pending further order. Mailed notice (lp, ) (Entered: 02/19/2025)
As of Friday morning, the case has been sent to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Reyes is still prohibited from displaying the deposition videos on his YouTube channel. His amended complaint (filed for whatever reason) has been rejected, and all eyes turn to see if the Seventh Circuit accepts the case.
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