City settles 10th suit over claimed cop corruption for $30K, less than the cost of defending it
More than two years after three suburban Chicago police officers were arrested on corruption charges, the fallout continues for the village that employed them.
Without admitting liability, Schaumburg recently settled the 10th lawsuit linked to a claimed conspiracy by the police trio to steal money and drugs from offenders while on duty. The $30,000 the village agreed to pay to three plaintiffs in a federal civil rights suit was “a fraction of what it would have cost to defend the case all the way through trial,” village attorney Jim Sotos told the Chicago Tribune (reg. req.).
So far, Schaumburg has spent around $164,000 on the settlements, and three lawsuits are ongoing, Sotos said. An earlier Daily Herald article provides more details about the civil rights suit.
Two of the three officers, Matthew Hudak and Terrance O’Brien, took pleas in the criminal case and are serving time. The third, John Cichy, is awaiting trial. A fourth officer named in this lawsuit, Alan Takei, still works for the Schaumburg police department.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “What will arrest of 3 suburban Chicago cops on drug charges mean for other defendants?”
ABAJournal.com: “State to drop charges in 15 cases involving 3 cops who now themselves are facing prosecution”
Chicago Tribune (reg. req.): “Judge to allow secret recordings to be played at Schaumburg ex-cop’s trial”
