Staff Contributor
Fresno County, California ($10 Million Settlement): Finalized on November 3, 2026, Fresno County agreed to a $10 million pre-trial settlement to resolve a police misconduct lawsuit filed by the family of Joseph Perez. Perez died in 2020 while being apprehended by police officers. Legal representation for the family emphasized that the settlement followed years of intense legal challenges spanning state, federal, and appeals courts, providing a measure of closure regarding police restraint protocols.
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Chicago, Illinois ($261 Million Settlement): The Chicago City Council officially approved a massive $261 million settlement. This historic payout resolves police misconduct claims for 17 wrongfully convicted murder defendants whose cases, dating back as far as 1987, were tied to disgraced former CPD Detective Reynaldo Guevara. It stands as one of the largest police misconduct package settlements in U.S. history.
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St. Louis, Missouri ($4.2 Million Settlement): Announced at trial, the City of St. Louis agreed to pay $4.2 million to James Pence and Chad Morris, the co-owners of the LGBTQ+ bar Bar:PM. The lawsuits alleged false arrest, assault, and battery by a responding officer following an incident where a police SUV crashed directly into the bar storefront in December 2023.
