$200,000 Tort Claim Withdrawn, Legal Action May Follow

By Gordon HopkinsA $200,000 tort claim submitted to the City of Fairbury last year has been withdrawn, but that is likely not the end of the matter.The claim was filed by Donald Goebel in response to the demolition of a house in 2023. Tort claims are legal claims that can be filed when someone is injured or their property is damaged by another person’s negligence or wrongful act.Goebel’s attorney, Dustin Garrison, was blunt in his letter to the city explaining the withdrawal, “We submitted a claim in this matter previously. Said claim has not been addressed in timely manner. Therefore, we hereby withdraw that claim; we intend to pursue our legal remedies.”The city regularly performs abatement and demolishes houses that are not up to city code and are considered dangerous. One house, at 8th and H Streets, demolished on Friday, November 10, 2023, created some controversy at the time after photos of two signs on the property were posted on social media. One sign stated, “House was 100 percent code compliant. This is how they get grant money.”The other, “Mayor – 100 percent in code. Why did you destroy my house? You got a lotta ‘splainin’ (sic) to do. The pile is mine – Not yours. Leave it alone.”Then-Mayor Spencer Brown disputed the content of the signs. He told FJN on that same day, “Mr. (Don) Goebel had failed to fix his condemned structure and it was subject to demolition.”Following demolition of the property, Goebel put up the signs and parked a large truck on the property, thus blocking access to the property and preventing the city from removing the debris from the demolition. On December 13, 2024, the City of Fairbury then filed a lawsuit seeking to enjoin Goebel, “from any and all actions violating the City’s nuisance ordinances and preventing the City from adhering to its nuisance abatement procedures.”The lot was eventually cleared and the lawsuit dismissed.According to Garrison at that time, “The home destroyed wrongfully by the City of Fairbury was habitable for a residence. Mr. Goebel was in the process of renovating the property when it was wrongfully destroyed by the City of Fairbury. When demolishing the property, the City of Fairbury ruined all utility fixtures for said home, together with the plumbing, electrical, and other components. Indeed, once renovated, this house would have served as a rental property for Mr. Goebel. Mr. Goebel is entitled to receive damages from the City of Fairbury pursuant to this claim for violation of due process, trespassing, destruction of his property, depreciation of the value of his property. In total, Mr. Goebel is seeking the total sum of $200,000.00.”The withdrawal of the claim was mentioned during the Fairbury City Council meeting on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.FJN has attempted to reach out to Goebel for a statement but, as of press time, he has not responded.

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