City Settles In Burge Torture Case, Daley Avoids Deposition

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 23, 2012 5:40PM

Huge news out of City Hall this morning as aldermen agreed to settle two civil suits related to the systemic torture that occurred under the watch of former police Cmdr. Jon Burge.

The total settlement will cost taxpayers $7.1 million. The larger payout, a $5.375 settlement to Michael Tillman, comes with the caveat that former Mayor Richard M. Daley will not be called to testify about what he knew about Burge and his practices. Tillman was convicted for a 1986 rape and murder and served nearly 24 years in prison before his conviction was vacated and charges dismissed by a Cook County special prosecutor in January 2010. He received a certificate of innocence from the Circuit Court of Cook County one month later. Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer ruled last August that Tillman's attorneys could call him as a defendant in their civil suit against the city. (Daley was Cook County State's Attorney during the time Burge engaged in torturing suspects.)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said at the time that the city would look to settle the cases and had an obligation to pay for Daley's legal fees.

But the big news out of this is that we may never know what Daley knew about Burge was doing down at Area 2, when he knew it, and why his office didn't step in to stop it.

The city also agreed to pay $1.8 million to David Fauntleroy, who was convicted in 1983 of double murder only to have his conviction rescinded in 2009.