In Chicago’s concrete world, the usually buttoned‑up Ozinga clan is suddenly in open conflict. Two brothers have hauled their siblings and the company’s CEO into court, alleging leadership cut corners to rush a roughly $50 million acquisition and threatening to upend control of the near‑100‑year‑old family business.
The Cook County lawsuit asks a judge to lock down the cash earmarked for the deal ahead of a February 28 closing, casting the dispute as a high‑stakes showdown over who really calls the shots inside one of the region’s most influential construction suppliers.
What the suit says
According to The Real Deal, brothers Justin and Karl Ozinga filed the complaint on Wednesday, accusing CEO Martin “Marty” Ozinga IV of trying to sidestep a requirement that the family trust sign off unanimously on major investments. The lawsuit seeks emergency injunctive relief and asks the court to freeze funds the brothers say were set aside for the acquisition.
Their attorney, John C. Sciaccotta, framed the filing as a last‑ditch effort to keep the family business on what his clients see as its intended track, saying, “Our clients filed this lawsuit in order to protect their legacy, their inheritance, and, ultimately, to protect the Ozinga family of companies.”
Family trust and real estate bets
At the center of the fight is the Ozinga Children’s Investment Trust, created by family patriarch Martin Ozinga III, who died in 2021. The trust structure, as described in the family obituary and recapped by The Chicago Sun-Times, requires unanimous approval from a Special Fiduciary Committee before major investments can move forward…