Stop and Frisk Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against City of Chicago and Chicago Police Department Still Pending
Aug 7, 2015
Chicago, IL (Law Firm Newswire) August 7, 2015 – Personal injury law firm, Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, recognizes the efforts of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) who announced today an agreement going into effect immediately regarding monitoring how officers go about conducting street stops of citizens in Chicago.
In addition, the agreement names independent consultant U.S. Magistrate Arlander Keys, who will issue bi-annual reports on the department and recommend policy changes.
“The announcement made today is exactly why the civil class action lawsuit our firm filed in April is so important in our efforts to expedite and help create radical policy changes at the Chicago Police Department,” notes Antonio Romanucci, lead attorney for Romanucci & Blandin. “If not for the pending stop and frisk class action lawsuit filed against the City of Chicago and Chicago Police Department, this announcement from the ACLU and CPD would not have occurred. We sat down with the ACLU and we were in agreement with the policy changes that are incorporated into this understanding,” he added.
Despite today’s announcement, the class action lawsuit, which now has 53 named African-American plaintiffs, against the City of Chicago and Chicago Police Department is still pending. The case alleges that the street stop practice is being done without reasonable articulable suspicion which is required under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Instead, the CPD employs race and/or national origin as determinative factors in deciding to stop and frisk individuals, in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. All victims and plaintiffs represented in the complaint are African-American males who seek immediate injunctive and declaratory relief of these unconstitutional “catch and release” stop and frisk practices.
“We know that Stop & Frisk was a colossal failure with 99% of 2.3 million frisks failing to find a weapon and they were unlawful. Which is exactly why the practice has already been ruled as unconstitutional,” says Romanucci. “While we applaud the efforts of the ACLU and CPD, we must also remain unwavering in our pursuit of a judgement against the City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department on behalf of the plaintiffs we represent in the class action.”
The lawsuit is class action No: 1:15-cv-03467.
Those interested in learning more about the federal case or participating in the lawsuit can call: 1-800-458-9636; email: badstop@rblaw.net; or visit: www.badstop.org
About Romanucci & Blandin, LLC:
Romanucci & Blandin has been rated as a leading civil trial practice law firm in Chicago concentrating in personal injury and police misconduct. The attorneys at the Chicago law firm represent individuals and their families in catastrophic personal injury matters, wrongful death and workers’ compensation cases. The cases that are referred to Romanucci & Blandin involve accidents or injuries which occurred due to negligence and carelessness on the part of individuals, governmental bodies and corporations of all sizes. Since its inception more than 16 years ago, Romanucci & Blandin has secured more than $300 million in verdicts and settlements on behalf of their clients. For more information about Romanucci & Blandin, please visit www.rblaw.net or call (312) 458-1000.
