Chicago set to pay $1.75 million settlement to family of woman who died in police holding cell
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The family of a woman found hanged inside a Chicago police holding cell in 2021 has agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit against the city for $1.75 million.
The City Council Finance Committee on Monday is set to vote on the settlement in the federal lawsuit filed by the family of Irene Chavez, 33, who died in police custody after she was arrested on a battery charge at the Jeffery Pub in the South Shore neighborhood on Dec. 18, 2021.
After her arrest, Chavez was found in her holding cell with one end of her shirt tied around her neck, and the other tied to a metal bar inside the cell. She died at the hospital.
Chavez's arrest was recorded on multiple body camera videos, showing officers arriving at the Jeffery Pub to find a man complaining that Chavez had brought her own beers with her and became irate when she couldn't play the jukebox because there was a DJ that night. The man said Chavez spat in his face and hit a security guard as they tried to escort her out of the bar before police arrived.
As police arrested Chavez, she could be heard saying she acted in self-defense and yelling expletives at an officer who yelled an expletive back at one point. Once Chavez was at the police station, video footage showed paper covering the windows of her holding cell, blocking officers' view.
In a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the city, her family claimed Chavez had relapsed after being sober for more than a month, was suffering a mental health crisis, and repeatedly told officers that she was a military veteran, suffered from PTSD, and needed to go to the hospital.
Instead of taking steps to accommodate her mental health needs, the lawsuit claims officers mocked her "using foul, aggressive language" and placed her in a holding cell that had suicide hazards and an observation window covered in paper, preventing officers from keeping an eye on her.
The lawsuit claims Chavez "repeatedly cried out for help" for at least 45 minutes while in her cell, but police ignored her until after she'd gone quiet, and officers found her unconscious inside.
"The Chicago Police Department is here to protect and serve, and that comes with taking care of the mental state of people that they take in," her sister, Iris Chavez, said days after her death.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability concluded an investigation into Chavez's death last May but has yet to release its final summary report, which would outline any recommendations for disciplinary actions against officers involved in Chavez's arrest.
Meantime, if the Finance Committee approves the settlement in the Chavez family's lawsuit on Monday, a final City Council vote could come on May 22. It's extremely rare for the City Council to reject settlements recommended by the city's Law Department.