(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Some Chicago aldermen on Monday were reluctant to settle a couple of police misconduct cases, but they also approved a few big settlements without debate.
Without questions or comments, the City Council’s Finance Committee approved more than $20 million in settlements for two men who spent 23 years in jail for a murder they say they didn’t commit.
Armando Serrano and Jose Montanez say they were framed by former detective Reynaldo Guevara, who’s facing about a dozen similar lawsuits.
First Assistant Corporation Counsel Jeff Levine said a witness against them has recanted, and Guevara’s not talking, so he says there's little to disprove the men's claims.
But several Aldermen, including Patrick Daley Thompson, Raymond Lopez and former cop Chris Taliaferro, threatened to vote “no” on a $425,000 settlement for Dejuan Harris, who was shot while fleeing police. He claims it was after he thew his gun away. Police say otherwise.
City Lawyers recommended settlement of that case because of what a jury might believe. Committee chair Scott Waguespack decided to hold off a vote on the proposed deal.
The aldermen also recommend $900,000 for an allegedly false murder confession police say came when a then-teenager’s mother left an interrogation room. That 15-year-old ended up serving 15 years in jail, and filed suit over a false confession when he got out.
His conviction has also been vacated by the courts.
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