Cicero Approves $290,000 Settlement in Lawsuit Tied to Alleged Privacy Violation in Lock-up Facility
Documents from the Class action complaint of 5 women vs. The town of cicero. (Photo by April Alonso)
By Grisel Acosta
On May 26 the Town of Cicero approved a $290,000 settlement in a class-action lawsuit by a group of women who claimed that the Town violated their privacy rights while they were detained in the Cicero lock-up facility.
The lawsuit, filed in May 2018, alleged that the way the lock-up facility is built forced women who were detained to “expose their genitals to male Town of Cicero lock-up employees and/or male detainees each and every time they use the bathroom,” according to court documents.
The women claim the Town broke the fourth amendment by invading their privacy and other women’s privacy. According to the lawsuit they experienced “stress, humiliation and other emotional damages from the exposure and/or potential exposure of their genitals.”
The Town of Cicero has denied these claims. The settlement stipulates that this agreement cannot be used to attribute any fault or liability to the Town of Cicero. Court documents state that, “The Town and the Third-Party Defendants denied and continues to deny any wrongdoing whatsoever regarding the allegations set forth in the Complaint.”
According to the settlement, the five named plaintiffs Lesia Adair, Anita Donato, Jordan Garcia, Veronica Garcia, and Areceli Vega will receive $4,000 each. About 900 other women represented by this lawsuit who were also detained from May 18, 2016 to March 31, 2020, will be entitled to a proportional share not exceeding $500 if they submit a timely Proof of Claim. People interested in more information about how to submit a claim can contact Dvorak Law Offices, LLC at 630-568-3190.
The Town has also agreed to implement a new policy at the lock-up facility that prevents male arrestees from walking past the cells of female arrestees during processing and transportation.
The settlement comes amidst a reinvigorated national call by racial justice organizers to invest more money in community resources, like youth programs and mental health services, rather than in police, including police settlements. Recent solidarity marches in Cicero have echoed this message.
Grisel Acosta is a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago where she is majoring in Political Science.
