Another large Chicago police settlement — this time a $27 million deal for the family of a woman killed by a car officers were chasing — is poised for approval in the City Council after advancing in a first vote Friday.
Finance Committee members approved the deal in a voice vote, making it just the latest high-dollar settlement for a lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department.
The money, set for a final vote Wednesday, would go to the family of Stacy Vaughn-Harrell, a 47-year-old who was killed in 2017 when a driver speeding while fleeing police rammed into her car at a Hyde Park intersection.
Vaughn-Harrell’s family won a $10.2 million jury verdict against the city in May 2023. Motions by the city challenging the outcome triggered a new trial.
But now the city is on the hook for far more: $20 million, with the other $7 million to be paid by the city’s insurer.
The higher sum in a negotiation sparked by the city is a result of “a different case” forming over time, said John Hendricks, the Law Department’s managing deputy of litigation.
“We have a different case with new evidence,” Hendricks said. “We have a different case with new witnesses. We have a different case with new and broader claims for damages. And we have a likelihood of more evidence coming in that was not allowed in the first trial.”
Vaughn-Harrell’s family would likely pursue a verdict of as much as $100 million at trial, city attorney Margaret Mendenhall Casey said.
Mendenhall Casey pointed to an array of changed circumstances. More of Vaughn-Harrell’s children would testify, her job as their homeschool teacher would be considered and the suffering she experienced between the crash and her death would come into play, she said.
Severe injuries to Vaughn-Harrell’s daughter, Kimberlyn Myers, would be considered, as would videos that showed a potentially “callous” response from police and new questions about a police investigation, she added.
Myers spoke during a public comment period shortly before aldermen considered the settlement.
“We are here to be heard. We are here to be understood. Every day there’s pain that we all go through,” she said amid tears. “Today is just as hard as it was on June 24.”
She then collapsed into the arms of family members sitting behind her.
Hendricks said the city has lost many similar cases in court. The settlement was monitored and supported by the city’s insurers, Mendenhall Casey said.
John Hendricks, the city Law Department’s managing deputy of litigation, and deputy attorney Margaret Mendenhall Casey arrive for City Council Finance Committee meeting on March 13, 2026, where they recommended a $27 million settlement for the family of Stacey Vaughn-Harrell. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
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John Hendricks, the city Law Department’s managing deputy of litigation, and deputy attorney Margaret Mendenhall Casey arrive for City Council Finance Committee meeting on March 13, 2026, where they recommended a $27 million settlement for the family of Stacey Vaughn-Harrell. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Ald. Bill Conway, the only alderman to ask questions about the deal, ultimately supported it after hearing jurors in the first trial determined police engaged in “willful and wanton conduct” that contributed to the crash.
“I think that despite the big dollar amount, I think this sounds like a reasonable settlement, and I encourage my colleagues to support it,” he said.
The measure passed in a short voice vote with no apparent dissent.
The city has already spent $50.1 million on police-related settlements in January and February. And City Hall is well on track to once again blow through its budget for such deals.
Aldermen and Mayor Brandon Johnson budgeted $82.5 million for police-related settlements in 2026. Neither Johnson nor aldermen pushed to raise that budget, despite years of spending on settlements far outpacing budgeting.