Ex-Chicago mayor hit with lawsuit over unpaid credit card bills

Former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot is facing a lawsuit from JP Morgan Chase Bank over unpaid credit card debt.

According to the Chicago Tribune, court papers show the bank sued Lightfoot last October, serving her at her $900,000 home in Chicago. JP Morgan Chase claims she failed to pay $11,078 in credit card bills.

The lawsuit says the bank charged off the debt in March 2025, meaning it sent the balance to debt collectors. Lightfoot did not challenge the move, the filing states.

She later made a final $5,000 payment in August 2025. Her next court hearing is scheduled for December.

Lightfoot served as Chicago’s mayor from 2019 to 2023 and became the first mayor in 40 years to lose a re-election bid. She left office with some of the lowest approval ratings in the city’s modern history.

As mayor, she earned an annual salary of $216,000. Financial disclosures show she made $402,414 in 2021 and withdrew $210,000 early from her retirement account that same year.

The case remains ongoing.