| Chicago PD to Fight "Meritless" Lawsuits |
|
| Written by Jeff Jones | |
| Tuesday, 01 September 2009 | |
|
Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis has asked the city to defend their Officers and to become more aggressive in fighting lawsuits he views as "meritless" by going to trial instead of settling them. And, surprisingly, the city is moving forward with his recommendation. We have seen an increase in the number of small-value lawsuits being filed" against the police, said department spokeswoman Jennifer Hoyle, who defined such cases as those that seek less than $100,000. In the past, city attorneys might settle such a lawsuit for $2,000 if they thought it might cost $10,000 to defend against it, Hoyle said. "We believe that taking a more aggressive approach in these cases will lead to a decrease in the number of lawsuits being filed," she said. A Sun-Times analysis of lawsuits filed against the Police Department found about 275 settlements were paid out for the first six months of 2009 for a total of nearly $22 million. Nearly half of those settlements involved a payout of less than $5,000. And about 85 percent were for less than $50,000. Good for Superintendent Weis for standing up for his good Officers instead of rumber stamping basis lawsuits. Read the story from Officer.com
|
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|