Rosemont man killed by cop got settlement with Illinois Tollway
The Rosemont man shot and killed Wednesday who previously made headlines for sleeping on a state job reached an out-of-court settlement last year after suing the Illinois Tollway, officials said Thursday.
Joseph Caffarello filed a nine-count federal lawsuit against the tollway, its Inspector General James Wagner and State Rep. Rita Mayfield in November 2013 after being fired for a third time from his job after he was caught napping by co-workers.
Last July, a federal judge dismissed all claims against Mayfield and claims against the tollway and Wagner, except for claims of discrimination based on Caffarello's national origin.
Wendy Abrams, a tollway spokeswoman, said Thursday that lawyers for the parties "engaged in settlement discussions before the start of an expected lengthy and costly litigation discovery process." That resulted in a settlement in which Caffarello agreed to dismiss his remaining claims in exchange for the tollway reimbursing some of his attorneys' fees, Abrams said. The dollar value of the settlement wasn't immediately available.
Caffarello, 31, was shot and killed just before noon Wednesday by an off-duty Rosemont police officer, who was Caffarello's brother-in-law. Rosemont police said the preliminary investigation determined the shooting appeared to stem from a domestic situation; they've since handed the investigation over to the Illinois State Police.
Caffarello was married to Deanna Caffarello, the daughter of Rosemont Village Clerk Debbie Drehobl and park board President Richard Drehobl. The officer, Rick Drehobl, is their son, village officials confirmed.
Caffarello was the subject of a 2013 Chicago Sun-Times report about his firing for sleeping on the job as an Illinois Tollway garage supervisor in Gurnee. Caffarello had already been fired twice by tollway officials for other indiscretions, but successfully petitioned to get his job back both times.
On Thursday, Abrams said tollway officials were "shocked" by the news of Caffarello's death.
"We extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Caffarello's family and loved ones."
An official with Melrose Park-based D & P Construction confirmed that Caffarello had worked there, but declined further comment.
Caffarello's attorneys didn't respond to requests for comment, and his family couldn't be reached.
Caffarello's uncle, Anthony "Jeep" Daddino, had ties to the Chicago Outfit, according to the Chicago Crime Commission. Caffarello himself wasn't accused of being in the mob, the commission said.