Former inmate’s lawsuit reinstated
An 80-year-old man who says he was beaten and forced to confess to a 1951 rape will get a new trial in his civil rights lawsuit against the city of Chicago.
The Chicago Tribune reported Friday that a federal judge determined the conduct of the city’s lawyers in the 2011 trial was “unethical.”
In his 2004 lawsuit, Oscar Walden Jr. sought $15 million, alleging he was beaten by Chicago police into confessing. Former Gov. George Ryan pardoned Walden in 2002.
After a six-day trial, a jury rejected Walden’s claims. His lawyers accused the city’s attorneys of missteps, including presenting the jury with graphic details of the rape and other evidence that had been barred.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo said the city’s attorneys had crossed a line.