City Paid $95 Million To Settle Legal Cases In 2014

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago's law department paid $95 million to settle cases against the city in 2014, ranging from a $15 million wrongful conviction verdict to a few hundred for property damages.

That number includes about $14 million in legal fees, often paid to defend city workers in cases that resulted in the city's favor.

The $15 million payment resulted from a jury's decision in the wrongful conviction of TJ Jimenez, who spent 16 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. The jury awarded Jimenez $25 million, but the city's insurance covered about $10 million, according to Jimenez's attorney Jon Loevy.

Jimenez was 13 when he was arrested in the 1993 gang-related slaying of Eric Morro, 19, near the intersection of West Belmont and North Sacramento avenues.

Jimenez was convicted in two separate trials, but was freed in 2009, after a witness recanted and investigators analyzed a recording of a man admitting to the shooting.

Jimenez accused police of ignoring the evidence against another teen, including a recorded confession, in order to frame him.

The city also paid $6.3 million to Jennifer Anton, who was one of several victims of a drunk driving accident caused by city worker Dwight Washington.

While cases like Jimenez's make headlines, the large majority of payments are made before cases go to trial.

Multimillion dollar settlements are also rare. Of the hundreds of cases settled by the city, only 14 were for $1 million or more.

In fact, most of the settlements involve a few hundred or few thousand dollars.