CHICAGO URBAN DAILY
CHICAGO (CHICAGO URBAN DAILY)— Chicago is on the verge of one of the largest police misconduct payouts in American history — and it’s for crimes the city’s own detective allegedly committed decades ago.
Mayor Brandon Johnson is proposing a $260.8 million global settlement to resolve 16 lawsuits brought by 17 people who say they were framed for murders by former Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara. All 17 were exonerated after their convictions were thrown out, and together they spent more than 383 years behind bars — most of them from Humboldt Park, caught up in cases from the 1980s and 1990s.
The City Council’s Finance Committee took up the proposal Monday at 10 a.m. If it clears committee, a final vote by the full Council could come as soon as October 14. City attorneys say settling now would spare taxpayers an estimated $300 million to $400 million more in trial verdicts, legal fees, and defense costs — and note that the payout would be made over two years starting in 2027.
The deal was delivered by retiring Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry on her way out the door, after the Council pressed the Johnson administration for a package deal like the $90 million settlement that resolved the Ronald Watts cases. Finance Chair Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) said bundling the cases together gets a better result for taxpayers.
But make no mistake: this is a bill for broken justice. Decades of alleged misconduct, dozens of stolen lives, and now the people of Chicago foot the bill — while the system that allowed it has yet to fully answer for itself.
Stay tuned to Chicago Urban Daily as the Council moves toward its final vote.
Reported by Chicago Urban Daily News. Visit chicagourbandailynews.com for updates.
