Koschman settles with Cook County state's attorney's office
A Mount Prospect woman whose son died after a confrontation with a nephew of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley outside a Rush Street bar in Chicago in 2004 has reached a $50,000 settlement with the Cook County state's attorney's office.
Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, confirmed the settlement Friday.
The money will come from the county's general litigation fund.
In April, Nanci Koschman, the mother of 21-year-old David Koschman, settled with the city of Chicago for $250,000.
Nanci Koschman, who was unavailable for comment, alleged Chicago police and county prosecutors conspired to cover up the circumstances of her son's death and falsely portrayed him as the aggressor in the confrontation.
However, Daly said that the settlement represented the most cost-effective solution to bring the matter to a conclusion.
“Up to this point in the course of this civil litigation that was filed, the state's attorney's office had prevailed in this case. In U.S. District Court, the case was thrown out. They appealed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and we were actually expecting to prevail in that venue as well, had the case reached its conclusion, Daly said. “But the plaintiff's lawyer had indicated that, if they lost in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, they intended to continue to pursue the matter in state court.”
According to a special prosecutor appointed to investigate in 2012, Vanecko, who stood 6 feet, 3 inches and 230 pounds, knocked the 5-foot-5, 125-pound Koschman to the ground, causing the Mount Prospect man to hit his head on the pavement. David Koschman died of his injuries 11 days later.
Vanecko faced no charges until December 2012. He ultimately pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 2½ years of probation.
• Daily Herald staff writer Melissa Silverberg contributed to this report.