Doesn't a city agreeing to pay a civil wrongful death suit before a police officer is tried taint that officer's criminal trial?

Asked by ibstubro (18804

) December 19th, 2015

Officer Jason Van Dyke is going to seek a change of venue because of inflammatory statements made by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel regarding the death of Laquan McDonald.

How is announcing that the city has already paid the McDonald family $5,000,000 without a lawsuit any less prejudicial? Doesn’t it seem like the criminal case should precede the civil?

Hasn’t the city of Chicago, for all intents and purposes, declared Van Dyke guilty? How could they hope to find 12 jurors unaware of settlement?

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2 Answers

It makes that a little tough to find impartiality that is not going to know of it. Unless the jury is flown in from Bora Bora. What a horrible situation from the first moment onwards.

msh (4270

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I can only assume that the words and actions of Emanuel and the city were designed to forestall a populist uprising calling for his impeachment. It makes little sense otherwise.

Buttonstc (27605

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