According to the recent Daily Herald article, “Cook settles jail ‘hazing’ suit for $55 million,” the $55 million settlement in the inmate mass strip-search case will likely hamper the ability of the Cook County Board to address the $300 million budget shortfall. The lawsuit settlement could also delay the complete rollback of former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s 1 percent sales tax hike.
While taxpayers are stuck with mounting debt at the county level and higher taxes, the plaintiffs’ lawyers will walk away from this settlement with some $15 million in their pocket. But the story of Cook County being the county that pays is hardly a new one. Last month, Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch conducted a comprehensive examination of the amount of money Cook County government spends on litigation expenses, including settlements and verdicts, and found some staggering results.
According to the study, Cook County government spent more than $50 million on lawsuits last year alone and about $312 million on lawsuits from 2005-2009. With one lawsuit settlement this year, the county has already surpassed the money spent in litigation in all of 2009.
Cook County’s finances are in trouble and litigation is clearly a significant factor. It is time for the Cook County Board to take the cost of litigation seriously. The board cannot eradicate 100 percent of litigation costs, but this is no excuse to ignore the problem altogether. The longer county officials ignore this problem, the worse it will become.
If a $55 million lawsuit settlement isn’t enough for the county board to take this issue seriously, then exactly how much of taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars are county officials willing to spend on litigation?
Travis Akin
Executive Director
Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch
Marion
