Cook County will pay $600,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that an assistant state's attorney was present as detectives working for then-Chicago police Lt. John Burge tortured a homicide suspect.
The case involves Michael Tillman, who spent 23 years in prison before a special prosecutor determined his conviction was based on "coerced statements."
A federal judge has set a trial date in the case of a Burge torture victim who is suing former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, among others. The trial date is an indication that settlement negotiations during the last month have broken down between lawyers for the city of Chicago and attorneys for Michael Tillman.
Transcripts of sworn witness interviews in the 2004 death of a young man during a drunken confrontation with a nephew of former Mayor Richard Daley must be turned over to lawyers who want a special prosecutor appointed to investigate the case, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Faith-based groups that have become the face of community support for Mayor Rahm Emanuel's controversial plans to lengthen the school day and close failing schools also receive millions of dollars in grants from his administration. City Hall has long enjoyed the support of church leaders who receive grants to run after-school programs and other social services, but that relationship is coming under new scrutiny in response to complaints that some groups paid people to testify in support of Emanuel reforms at recent public hearings.
The city of Chicago may be settling two lawsuits stemming from the Burge police torture scandal, and that may be good news for former Mayor Richard Daley.
