CITY HALL — Aldermen agreed Tuesday to pay $925,000 to settle four police misconduct lawsuits.
The full City Council is expected to approve the settlements on Wednesday.
There was no discussion of any of the lawsuits before the committee's unanimous vote.
Man With Cerebral Palsy Punched By Cops To Get $225,000
The city is set to pay a man with cerebral palsy — who was given a black eye by police while searching a Calumet Heights home — $225,000.
Robert Lee Simmons, 67, was eating lasagna in the basement kitchen of a home in the 2700 block of East 92nd Street on March 9, 2014, when two officers — dressed head-to-toe in black and wearing masks that revealed only their eyes — entered the home, according to court records.
Simmons, who has a speech disorder and cerebral palsy, said an officer struck him twice with a closed fist after asking him what he was doing before forcing him to the ground, according to court records.
After being handcuffed, Simmons was forcibly removed from the house by officers because his disability made it difficult for him to comply with their orders quickly, according to court records.
Before he was placed in a police vehicle, Simmons hurt his knee and defecated on himself. In addition, Simmons suffered a head injury when he was thrown into a police van, according to court records.
When Simmons was photographed at the Calumet Police District headquarters, his right eye had been blackened, according to court records.
After being held for 14 hours, Simmons was released without charges, according to court records. After his release, he sought medical treatment.
$250K City Deal For Man Run Over By No. 2 Cop
A motorcyclist who was struck by a Chicago Police SUV driven by Officer Kevin Navarro, who is now the department's second-highest ranking official, is set to get $250,000.
Carlos Russian was a 26-year-old bartender driving a Suzuki GSX-R 750 just before 2 a.m. Aug. 30, 2011.
In a lawsuit against the city and Navarro, Russian alleged that he crashed into the Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Navarro when the officer made a U-turn and headed north in the southbound lanes on South Chicago Avenue without emergency lights or sirens activated.
Russian was catapulted 30 feet by the force of the impact and was seriously injured, according to his lawsuit.
Navarro is expected to take over the Police Department when Supt. Eddie Johnson goes on leave for a kidney transplant when an organ becomes available.
Family Of Teen Who Died In Chicago Jail To Get $250K
The family of a 17-year-old boy who died in 2011 while in police custody would get $250,000 to settle their lawsuit that claims officers knew the teen was sick and did nothing to help him.
Mark Haynie Jr., died July 13, 2011, while in police custody at the Harrison District station after being arrested on a drug charge, according to court records. City officials told the court that Haynie died of an overdose.
Haynie's mother, Yasante Foy, alleged in her lawsuit that officers knew her son had fallen ill, but took no action to help him or render medical assistance, according to court records.
Foy's lawsuit claims that "an unidentified police officer told [Haynie] to 'shut the f--- up and lie down," according to court records.
Man Injured In Police Cruiser Crash To Get $200K
A man who was injured when the police cruiser taking him to jail rear-ended another car would get $200,000 to settle his lawsuit.
Anthony Navarra was arrested in April 2012 and charged with domestic violence when the police cruiser that he was riding in crashed.
Because Navarra was handcuffed — and not wearing a seat belt — he hit the cage separating the front seat from the rear when the crash occurred. His lawsuit claimed he suffered head, back and neck pain that required spinal surgery to correct.