- The city won three cases in federal court on Thursday, all involving allegations against the police department.
The legal victories are evidence that the city’s strategy to aggressively fight “meritless” lawsuits — rather than settle them — is working, said an attorney whose firm won two of the verdicts for the city Thursday.
In 2009, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Supt. Jody Weis ordered that the city fight more cases against police that were considered frivolous.
- Since the strategy went into effect, the number of new lawsuits filed alleging police misconduct dropped by 47 percent last year, according to city officials.
Hiring competent outside attorneys and vigorously defending officers, not only for their completely legal actions, but for their reputations sake, has saved the city millions and frightened off more than a few frivolous suits.