In one of the highest awards of its type in U.S. history, a 12-member federal jury today following a month-long trial found the City of Chicago and its current and former police officers liable for $22 million in compensatory damages and $40,000 in punitive damages.
Fields spent the majority of his 18 years in prison on death row and was nearly put to death five times. Fields fought to prove his innocence for three decades.
At issue in Fields’ trial was the Chicago Police Department’s policy and practice of using so-called “street files” to suppress investigative materials favorable to criminal defendants.
The jury determined that both the individual defendant police officers and the City of Chicago violated Fields’ constitutional right to due process.
Nathson Fields is represented by Jon Loevy, Steve Art and Anand Swaminathan, Sam Heppell, Tony Balkissoon and Katie Roche of Loevy & Loevy Attorneys at Law, and Candace Gorman of the Law Offices of H. Candace Gorman.
Loevy & Loevy is one of the nation’s largest civil rights law firms, and over the past decade has won more multi-million dollar jury verdicts than any other civil rights law firm in the entire country. Last November, Loevy & Loevy successfully obtained the release of the dashcam video of Laquan McDonald’s shooting death at the hands of Chicago police.
Jon Loevy is God sent! Love you all at Loevy and Loevy!
FANTASTIC! KEEP GETTING THOSE JUDGEMENTS UNTIL THE STUPID CITIZENS DECIDE THEY HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THE SYSTEM.
I believe that if PENSIONS were withheld from police offices and law officials that have made decisions on citizens that were wrongfully convicted, shot and killed by police officers that claim that the now (dead) perpetrator had a gun that was not found no where at the scene. These people in position and power would think twice when it comes to shooting and killing innocent our race of people. The money that has been spent on settlements alone has cost the tax payer millions of dollars that could have been used in education, housing, employment and other important factors instead of paying out grieving families. These fines should be imposed on the person who commits the crime instead of the tax payers. Money seems to get one’s attention well, especially if it’s THEIR’S!!! NO PENSIONS
Were any of the Chicago police departmental officers who perpetrated the suppression of evidence ever convicted of crimes from tampering with evidence? or violation of Mr. Fields rights?
or were the officers who committed to suppress investigative materials only relocated to another district to commit more of their evil rot?