$25 Million Awarded to Innocent Illinois Prisoner Incarcerated for 16 Years
$25 Million Awarded to Innocent Illinois Prisoner Incarcerated for 16 Years
In January 2012, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois awarded plaintiff Thaddeus Jimenez $25,000,000 after prevailing in his civil rights. Jimenez alleged conspiracy on the part of the Chicago Police officers, violation of his right to due process, and malicious prosecution.
On February 3, 1993, 19 year-old Eric Morro was confronted on the street by two boys who were collecting a debt. An argument ensured that resulted in the shooting death of Morro and Morro’s friend gave the police a description of the two boys. Neither description matching Jimenez, nor was there any evidence to tie Jimenez to the scene. Police arrested Jimenez, 13, the next day on the strength of a phone call suggesting him as the perpetrator. Jimenez maintained that the officers involved in his arrest built a false case against him by manipulating the evidence.
Jimenez was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison. After some time another man confessed to the murder and was arrested. In 2007 the attorney general’s office re-investigated the crime and in 2009, issued Jimenez a certificate of innocence and released him from prison.
In 2009, Jimenez sued the city and the police officers involved in his arrest. Before trial, the parties stipulated that the city of Chicago would not be a participant in the tria,l but would share in the judgment if all claims against individual defendants, except Bogucki, were dismissed. For his 16 years, two months and 28 days wrongfully incarcerated, Jimenez claimed as damages his loss of life experiences of adolescence and young adulthood, the joys and learning that would have been afforded to him during that time, as well as the emotional pain and suffering of being an innocent in prison.
The jury found for Jimenez on all three counts of his complaint and awarded $25 million in damages. See: Jimenez v. City of Chicago, U.S.D.C. (N.D. Ill.), Case no. 1:09-cv-08081.
Source: www.verdictsearch.com
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Related legal case
Jimenez v. City of Chicago
| Year | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Cite | U.S.D.C. (N.D. Ill.), Case no. 1:09-cv-08081 |
| Level | District Court |
| Damages | 25,000,000 |