Suit: Thousands Abused By Chicago Police
CHICAGO (WBBM) - A Chicago lawyer is looking for thousands of suspects who were abused when they were brought in for questioning by Chicago police. Newsradio 780's Regine Schlesinger reports they could be entitled to compensation under the settlement of a class-action lawsuit.
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The $16.5 million dollar settlement's just been approved by a federal judge. It ends a lawsuit, filed in 2004 by attorney Michael Kanovitz on behalf of tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of plaintiffs who'd been hauled in for questioning by Chicago police.
"They often were chained to walls for the whole length of time, many reported not getting food," Kanovitz adds some suspects were held under those conditions for days on end.
So far, 58,000 claims have been filed but, Kanovitz suspects there could be hundreds of thousands who are eligible.
Kanovitz says in response to the case, the city has promised to end the worst abuses. Depending on the circumstances, each plaintiff is entitled to anywhere from $90 to $3,000 dollars per claim. People who were detained between March of 1999 and May of this year have until October 25th to register a claim.
