Chicago Considers $16.5 Million Settlement in Class Action Against Police Force

Chicago, IL: Chicago City Council has approved a potential $16.5 million settlement in a class action lawsuit brought against the city's police department by some 514,000 plaintiffs.

Three different allegations are involved in the suit, affecting three separate groups of plaintiffs. One group involves 12,000 people arrested on suspicion of a felony without warrants, and who allege that they did not receive a probable cause hearing infront of a judge within 48 hours of arrest. Each of these plaintiffs could receive as much as $3,000 per person.

A second allegation involves people held for more than 16 hours in interview rooms and who were not provided with bedding, meals or regular bathroom breaks. Each of these plaintiffs could receive up to $2,000 each.

The final allegation involves some 500,000 people held in police lock-ups overnight and who were not provided with mattresses to sleep on. Each of these people could receive $90 per person.

Chicago taxpayers will foot the bill for $15 million of the settlement, while the remaining $1.5 million would be paid by the city's insurer.

According to the Chicago Sun times, prior to administering the settlement monies, the city will publish notices in local newspapers to alert potential plaintiffs, who will be required to submit signed and notarized claim forms along with "some form of secondary proof."