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Harvey Failed To Process Hundreds Of Rape Kits, Lawsuit Claims

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A federal class-action lawsuit has been filed against the city of Harvey, accusing it of failing to process 200 rape kits.

At the center of the allegation is a 22-year-old rape victim identified as Jane Doe, WBBM Newsradio's Steve Miller reports.

WBBM Newsradio's Steve Miller Reports

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Her attorney Yao Dinizulu has filed the suit against the city of Harvey and the man who was police commander.

The suit says Jane Doe was raped in 2007 when she was 17 -- and that her rape kit was never processed.

Not only hers, the attorney says, but a total of 200 rape kits.

"I think in some respects, it had to be intentional," Dinizulu said. "Because how do you not process, for over a decade, any of these rape kits?"

Dinizulu says they will be seeking a large financial penalty.

An attorney for the city of Harvey says the lawsuit has "numerous factual inaccuracies and legally is without merit."

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