Number
141169
Version
SUBSTITUTE 1
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. HAMILTON
Title
Substitute resolution appropriating $675,000 from the 2014 Common Council Contingent Fund to be expended for costs, claims and other expenditures related to police litigation.
Analysis
This legislation appropriates $675,000 from the 2014 Common Council Contingent Fund for the purpose of meeting financial obligations related to the defense of claims and litigation brought against the City upon allegations of constitutional violations associated with law enforcement activities including claims of unlawful stops and searches.
The legislation appropriates $425,000 to the Damages & Claims Fund Special Purpose Account (SPA) to cover claims and settlements that include settlements in the Venable and Bohannon matters (see Resolution File Numbers 141018 and 141162, respectively).
The legislation further appropriates $210,000 to the Outside Counsel/Expert Witness SPA for expenditures that include continuing services of outside counsel retained in connection with these claims and cases (see Communication File Number 140690).
Finally, the legislation appropriates $40,000 to the Operating Expenditures Account of the City Attorney’s Office to cover the increased and unanticipated expenditures associated with pretrial discovery including costs related to depositions, court-reporting, transcript preparation, copying and exhibit preparation.
Body
Whereas, Exposure of the City to claims, costs and other unanticipated expenditures has increased significantly over the last year as a result of allegations and claims arising from law enforcement activities associated with stop and search incidents; and
Whereas, Police stop and search cases involving as many as 60 or more plaintiffs have contributed to more than a 40% increase in the litigation caseload of the City Attorney’s Office since the beginning of 2013 (File Number 140779); and
Whereas, Outside counsel was retained in August, 2014, to ass...
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