Thursday, February 11, 2016

Lawyer seeks to question Emanuel on 'code of silence' for lawsuit

The Chicago Tribune reports:
Lawyers for a woman alleging that Chicago police covered up a 2007 road-rage incident involving an off-duty officer want Mayor Rahm Emanuel to give sworn testimony about the so-called "code of silence" within the Police Department.

A federal jury in December found that Officer William Szura used excessive force on Nicole Tomaskovic during a traffic altercation on the shoulder of the Stevenson Expressway that turned violent.

In addition to awarding $260,000 in damages to Tomaskovic for her pain and suffering, the jury ruled that Szura had acted in the scope of his employment as a police officer, allowing separate claims to move forward alleging the city has a de facto policy of covering up the bad actions of officers.

On Wednesday, Tomaskovic's lawyer filed court papers asking U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis to force Emanuel's deposition about his knowledge of the code of silence.
Rahm: you have the right to remain silent.