The City of Chicago has been paying out record-breaking number of legal settlements -- many of them police-involved.
Before the halfway point of the calendar year 2025, the city blew past the $90 million budgeted for settlements. And on Monday alone, five new settlements appeared to be ready to be paid out -- totaling more than $35 million.
Those settlements are not the only ones coming with hefty price tags. The city's Law Department said the cases have been coming through drip by drip are about to see a gusher, with many cases -- some with possible settlement figures of up to $20 million -- now in the pipeline.
How many? On Monday, it was revealed that there are 275 such cases in all.
The Mendez family of Chicago is just one step away from a massive payout for a wrong raid in 2017. Police broke down the door to the home of settlement with Gilbert and Hester Mendez in McKinley Park on Nov. 7 of that year, and shouted profanities. The family also accused officers of pointing assault rifles and handguns at them and their children, Peter and Jack.
CBS News Chicago Investigator Dave Savini was the first to report on the raid, which was the result of a bad informant's tip.
The Mendez family is now nearly guaranteed a $2.5 million settlement with the city.
Meanwhile, it will likely be $17 million for Roberto Almodovar, who was wrongfully put away for 23 years. He was framed by disgraced former Chicago police Detective Reynaldo Guevara for a double murder.
Another wrongful convict, Jackie Wilson, is on the verge of a nearly $13 million settlement with the city. He was wrongfully put away for more than 30 years on a double murder charge, after he said his confession was forced out of him by Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge by using Russian roulette tactics.
The City Council Finance Committee approved the Mendez, Almodovar, and Wilson settlements Monday, along with two others. But there are a lot more coming.
"There's 275 more settlements that are on the horizon -- 275 was reported today by the legal counsel," said Ald. Marty Quinn (13th).
Alders learned this news for the first time Monday.
The city has an insurance policy that covers most massive payouts. But with a tidal wave of new cases looming, can the city afford coverage?
"You can only imagine, with that sort of liability, what the premium is going to look like," Quinn said.
Some on the City Council said they have been left in the dark, and understand a lack of clarity on past payouts and plans for future ones gives taxpayers pause.
"One of the things that the people need to be concerned about is, where exactly this money is coming from?" said Ald. Anthony Beale (9th). "You know, we always play hide-the-ball when it comes down to how we're paying for these settlements."
Beale said if the city can't be transparent and accountable about spending, taxpayers are right to be resentful.
"If we can't get our answers, they should not have the appetite to pay more property taxes if we can't get the answers of how we're spending their money," he said.
The five cases approved by the City Council Finance Committee on Monday need full City Council approval, which almost always happens.
Why this backlog of cases all of a sudden? Alders say two factors are likely at play -- one of them a backlog of cases from COVID that are coming due, the other a signal to the legal community that the city is eager to settle, which invites more litigation.
Also involved is police misconduct gong back decades.
"We are just getting into the meat of these things that took place in the 1990s, so there's a big bill that's going to continue to come," said Quinn.