Overview
- Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration delivered the $260.8 million proposal to resolve 16 cases brought by 17 plaintiffs who had murder convictions later vacated.
- The City Council Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on the proposal on Monday and any approval would still need a vote of the full City Council.
- The city plans to pay the settlement over two years beginning in 2027 and officials estimate the package could save taxpayers roughly $300 million to $400 million in trial exposure and legal fees.
- Plaintiffs allege former CPD Detective Reynaldo Guevara coerced false confessions, withheld evidence, falsified reports, and beat suspects; Guevara has not been criminally charged and has repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment.
- Dozens of Guevara-era cases have produced exonerations and long prison terms for victims, and the city still faces at least two dozen additional Guevara-related lawsuits that would not be resolved by this deal.