CHICAGO (WLS) — Social justice advocates are drawing attention to a wrongful conviction crisis in Chicago that they believe the city is ignoring. A new database tracking 23 years of wrongful conviction lawsuits reveals that Chicago taxpayers have already paid hundreds of millions of dollars due to these cases. Civil rights attorneys are questioning why the city continues to fight against individuals who have been declared factually innocent.
The Truth, Hope and Justice Initiative is urging the City of Chicago and Mayor Brandon Johnson to address what they see as an emergency. According to Andrew Stroth, the founder of the initiative, Chicago is the wrongful conviction capital of America. Stroth emphasizes that the city has a billion-dollar wrongful conviction problem, calling it a crisis.
Despite having certificates of innocence granted by a judge, individuals who have been exonerated still face lawsuits from the city. Over the past two years, the Truth, Hope and Justice Initiative, along with a coalition of lawyers and corporations, created a comprehensive database of more than 1,700 lawsuits, demonstrating the significant financial burden on Chicago taxpayers resulting from fighting these wrongful conviction cases.
The data shows that the city consistently loses these cases, spending tens of millions of dollars on outside counsel to defend them. Even after losing at trial, the city is responsible for paying legal fees to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, on top of any settlements or verdicts. The ABC7 Data Team has validated the findings of the Truth, Hope, and Justice project, corroborating information from 300 of the cases.
Since the year 2000, Chicago has already paid over $675 million for wrongful conviction litigation. Stroth warns that the problem continues to escalate, with at least 200 pending wrongful conviction cases against the city. Based on predictive analytics, this adds up to a billion-dollar problem for Chicago today.
The report also reveals that outside law firms have invoiced nearly $138 million during the past two-plus decades, with Rock Fusco & Connelly, Sotos Law Firm, and Hale & Monico being the top three billers, each invoicing over $24 million since 2000.
The initiative has made strong recommendations, including conducting a risk assessment for pending wrongful conviction cases, establishing a specialized wrongful conviction unit within the City’s Law Department, and developing a mediation platform.
The goal of this project is to increase transparency surrounding litigation related to police misconduct and work towards making reforms. The hope is that collaboration among various stakeholders will drive change and reduce costs related to these wrongful conviction cases.
As of now, both the City of Chicago officials and the mayor’s office have not responded to questions regarding the issue. The Truth, Hope, and Justice Initiative plan to expand their efforts to other major cities with a history of wrongful conviction lawsuits.
In conclusion, the wrongful conviction crisis in Chicago is a pressing financial and moral issue. As the city continues to fight against individuals who have been declared factually innocent, taxpayer dollars are being spent on legal fees and settlements. The initiative hopes to bring about change by urging the City of Chicago to address the problem, increase transparency, and implement necessary reforms.
