Chicago City Council Approves $260M Police Misconduct Settlement Linked to CPD Detective Reynaldo Guevara
CHICAGO () — The Chicago City Council has approved a $260.8 million settlement resolving wrongful-conviction lawsuits linked to former Chicago Police Department Detective Reynaldo Guevara.
The payout is expected to be the largest single police misconduct settlement in U.S. history.
The measure passed unanimously without discussion or debate.
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“I think this is a good, smart move by our city as we move to put more of these behind us and make sure justice is served,” Alderwoman Maria Hadden said.
Wednesday’s historic vote came after the City Council considered a multimillion-dollar settlement covering wrongful-conviction lawsuits involving Guevara.
The action followed a unanimous recommendation from the Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee and a proposal from Mayor Brandon Johnson.
“Even though I’ve been a strong opponent of many of these settlements, particularly when there is no certificate of innocence or when one is in question, I know this group settlement will clear the docket of many outstanding issues,” Alderman Ray Lopez said.
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The $260.8 million agreement would compensate 17 men who filed lawsuits and collectively spent 383 years incarcerated for crimes they did not commit.
City attorneys warned that taking the cases to trial could expose Chicago to more than $500 million in total liability. By settling, city officials estimate taxpayers could avoid between $300 million and $400 million in legal fees and potential damages.
“We all know these cases could carry on for a long time, and I think being able to do this saves taxpayers money as we continue to work on the consent decree,” Alderwoman Nicole Lee said.
The lawsuits arose from allegations of police corruption involving Guevara, who retired in 2005. He has repeatedly been accused of falsifying police records, beating suspects and threatening witnesses to manufacture false murder convictions.
Although most of the men included in the settlement have received formal certificates of innocence, Guevara has never faced criminal charges related to his police work.
“This is an unfortunate chapter in our city’s history. Unfortunately, there are more cases like this out there, and this is the best way to address them, bring families some peace and compensate them for their specific challenges,” Alderman Jason Ervin said.
With the settlement approved, the city is expected to make the payments over the next two years beginning in 2027. However, the payouts may not end there.
Dozens of additional lawsuits tied to the former detective remain pending in court.
