Palatine man's family may seek $20 million as 'accountability' for one-punch death
The family of Ryan Flannigan got no consolation from the criminal trial in which the man whose punch led to Flannigan's death was found not guilty of first-degree murder.
On Tuesday, their attorney told a civil court they may seek "accountability" in the form of a $20 million judgment against Michael Platt.
Authorties say Flannigan, of Palatine, died after Platt "sucker punched" him outside a Palatine bar in 2014.
At the Richard J. Daley Center in Chicago on Tuesday, Michael Sorich, the attorney for Flannigan's family, told potential jurors he might ask them for a $20 million judgment if they find Platt liable in the death of the 27-year-old who authorities described as a "peacemaker."
"This case is all about accountability," Sorich told jurors during opening statements, "how you can right a terrible wrong ... and make Michael Platt responsible for his actions."
Platt's attorney, Scott Barber, countered that Sorich hadn't shared the whole story of what happened outside Pop's Bar and Grill around 10:30 p.m. July 18, 2014. Barber said his client feared for the safety of a friend, a double amputee who was in the midst of a confrontation with some of Flannigan's acquaintances.
Platt, 39, who was sitting on the bar patio, saw the other group "surrounding his friend," Barber said. Platt then saw Flannigan - who had stepped between Platt's friend and a woman in an apparent attempt to defuse the situation - raise his hands in a manner Platt "interpreted as aggressive toward his friend," Barber said.
Platt, also of Palatine, claimed self-defense during his June 2015 murder trial, saying he never intended to kill Flannigan. At that time, Platt said he was looking out for his friend, who uses prosthetic legs and was concerned about the large group of people near his car. Platt described the group - who were acquaintances of Flannigan but did not include him - as "loud, obnoxious and yelling obscenities."
Witnesses on Tuesday and during Platt's criminal trial disagreed with the interpretation that Flannigan's actions were aggressive. They said he held his hands palms up in a gesture intended to calm everyone down.
After Platt struck him in the left temple, Flannigan went limp and fell to the ground, striking his head on the asphalt, Sorich said. Flannigan suffered massive brain injuries and died 10 days later without regaining consciousness.
"It takes years of love, compassion and guidance to raise a child. It only takes seconds for a blindsided punch ... to take all that away," said Sorich.
Testimony is set to resume Wednesday.