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Read the press release here.

Law Dept.'s Civil-Rights Probe Finds No Culture of Misconduct

By Ted Cox | July 21, 2016 4:09pm
 Attorney Dan Webb found no evidence of a
Attorney Dan Webb found no evidence of a "culture" of "misconduct" in the city Law Department.
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Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

CITY HALL — An independent probe into the city Law Department has determined that a January case in which a lawyer allegedly hid evidence was unique and not part of a "culture ... of concealing evidence or engaging in intentional misconduct."

Former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb, now practicing at Winston & Strawn, signed the report, a review of the Law Department's Federal Civil Rights Litigation Division, along with partner Robert Michels. It was released Thursday after a 5 ½-month investigation.

The probe stemmed from a January accusation by U.S. Judge Edmond Chang that city lawyer Jordan Marsh had hid evidence in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed on behalf of Darius Pinex, who was shot and killed by police in Englewood in a 2011 traffic stop. Marsh almost immediately resigned.

 Corporation Counsel Steve Patton said the Law Department had already acted on the report's recommendations.
Corporation Counsel Steve Patton said the Law Department had already acted on the report's recommendations.
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DNAinfo/Ted Cox

With a U.S. Department of Justice probe of the Chicago Police Department already underway in the wake of the Laquan McDonald case, the city hired Webb to probe the Federal Civil Rights Litigation Division.

According to a Winston & Strawn release on the final report, however, investigators did "not find evidence establishing a culture ... of concealing evidence or engaging in intentional misconduct."

The report did describe the division as understaffed and having "a heavy workload" with "limited office resources." The report made 50 recommendations in how to improve the division's operations.

Corporation Counsel Steve Patton said he was "pleased" that the review "has confirmed the absence of any culture, practice or approach of intentionally concealing evidence or engaging in intentional misconduct relating to discovery practices or other obligations" by the Civil Rights Litigation division.

Additionally, "Mr. Webb and his team found no other instances of intentional misconduct relating to discovery practices other than the misconduct by a former attorney which prompted this review," he said.

However, "there is room for improvement in any organization, and the Federal Civil Rights Litigation division is no exception," Patton added.

Patton said in addition to providing additional training and committing additional resources, "we have already adopted and are acting on every one of their recommendations to improve our policies and procedures."

 

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