Winnetka lakefront homeowners who sued the village over its bluff-protection rules lost their federal case Tuesday, Sept. 1, when a judge threw out every constitutional claim in the lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge LaShonda Hunt granted Winnetka's motion to dismiss all federal claims brought by the property owners, according to a village announcement posted Wednesday, Sept. 2. The court rejected every constitutional claim. The homeowners had argued the ordinance amounted to an unconstitutional taking of their properties.

Twenty-five lakefront homeowners filed the suit in May 2024, arguing the village's steep-slope regulations lowered property values and blocked them from developing their land, the Chicago Tribune reported in October 2025.

The regulations restrict what owners can build in the steep zone of lake bluffs along Winnetka's Lake Michigan shoreline. Trustees approved the rules in February 2024 after a year of public hearings and research. That process was prompted by the construction of billionaire Justin Ishbia's $43.7 million mansion, a project that involved leveling three lakefront homes to build a 68,000-square-foot residence, according to the Tribune.

As of October 2025, no residents had requested a zoning variance under the steep-slope regulations, according to Village Engineering Director James Bernahl.

Tuesday's ruling completed a process that began in October 2025, when Judge Hunt dismissed the lawsuit's sole federal claim at that time. She wrote then that the homeowners "must utilize (the ordinance) before asking the federal courts to declare that a regulation goes too far." The homeowners were given until Oct. 30, 2025, to file an amended complaint.

The village said in its announcement that it remains confident in the process used to adopt the regulations and expressed hope that the litigation is finished. It also said it believes any remaining state law claims would be dismissed. Whether state claims are still technically pending was not addressed in the announcement.

Village President Bob Dearborn wrote in a text message to the Tribune in October 2025, after the earlier partial dismissal, that "The Village Council went through an extended public process to develop measured and reasonable regulations to help maintain bluff and other sensitive areas along the lake."

No response from the plaintiffs or from Baker McKenzie, which represented the homeowners in earlier proceedings, was available as of Wednesday.

The village is inviting any resident with ideas on how to improve the ordinance to submit recommendations directly to village hall.