Medina v. City of Chicago

606 N.E.2d 490, 238 Ill. App. 3d 385, 179 Ill. Dec. 658, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 1845
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedNovember 18, 1992
Docket1—90—2406, 1—90—2415 cons.
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 606 N.E.2d 490 (Medina v. City of Chicago) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Medina v. City of Chicago, 606 N.E.2d 490, 238 Ill. App. 3d 385, 179 Ill. Dec. 658, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 1845 (Ill. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

JUSTICE CERDA

delivered the opinion of the court:

On May 6, 1983, Chicago police officer Eugene Richmond shot and killed Jose A. Garcia III, who was 17 years old. Garcia was survived by an eight-month-old son, a sister, and his mother, Milagros Medina. Plaintiff Medina filed this action as administrator of her son’s estate, bringing Illinois wrongful death and survival and Federal civil rights claims against Officer Eugene Richmond and the City of Chicago (the City). The trial court directed a verdict in favor of the City on the 42 U.S.C. §1983 (1988) claim. The jury returned a verdict against both defendants under the Wrongful Death Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 70, pars. 1, 2) and Survival Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1991, ch. 110½, par. 27—6) for willful and wanton misconduct, awarding total compensatory damages of $704,000. Because the jury also found that Garcia was 50% contributorily negligent, the trial court entered judgment in the amount of $352,000. The jury found in favor of defendant Richmond on the Federal civil rights claim. All post-trial motions were denied except that the trial court reduced the damages for Garcia’s conscious pain and suffering from $100,000 to $50,000. We affirm in part and reverse in part.

On appeal, plaintiff asserts that (1) Garcia’s contributory negligence cannot reduce his estate’s recovery under the Wrongful Death and Survival Acts; (2) the trial court erred in remitting the estate’s award for conscious pain and suffering; (3) the trial court erred in denying plaintiff’s post-trial motion seeking judgment in her favor notwithstanding the verdict for the Federal civil rights claims because defendants were found guilty of willful and wanton misconduct; and (4) the trial court erred in denying plaintiff’s motion for a new trial where certain evidentiary rulings were in error. Defendants assert on appeal that the evidence does not support the jury’s finding that Officer Richmond’s conduct was willful and wanton.

On May 6, 1983, Stuart Majesky received a series of phone calls from someone who offered to return his son’s stolen automobile in exchange for $100. The caller told Majesky that he had obtained the car keys from someone he had met while at Cook County jail. After a meeting was arranged with the caller, Majesky contacted Officer Richmond, who was Majesky’s niece’s ex-husband. Majesky asked Richmond if the police could help him get the stolen car back. Richmond consulted his supervisor, Sergeant Ralph Chiczewski, who approved the police assistance.

Majesky. met with several plainclothes police officers to plan the meeting. The police decided that Majesky would go with Richmond, who would pose as his son. According to the plan, police officers would park at designated areas near the McDonald’s parking lot at 2701 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, before Majesky and Richmond arrived. Once Majesky paid the caller, the officers would arrest the caller.

When Majesky drove into the McDonald’s parking lot, Garcia came up to the car and asked, “[A]re you here about the Nova?” After Majesky parked his car, Garcia approached the driver’s side and indicated that he would have to take them to the car, which was located a couple of blocks away.

Majesky got out of the car and stood near his car’s front left fender. Garcia stood a foot in front of him. Richmond put his hand on Garcia’s shoulder and told him that he was under arrest. At that time, Garcia twisted, made a step on the curb, and tried to leap on the guardrail. As he did so, he dragged Richmond, who was still hanging onto Garcia’s jacket, against the curb. Richmond stumbled, fell forward, and his gun discharged. After the gun went off, Garcia fell off the guardrail.

Majesky testified that Richmond never put Garcia’s hand on the car or patted him down. Garcia said nothing after Richmond announced that he was a police officer. Majesky further stated that he never saw Garcia swing or hit Richmond and Richmond had his gun up in the air at all times. Majesky did not observe any gun, knife, or weapon on Garcia prior to the shooting.

After Garcia was shot once in the back with the .357 revolver, he took a few steps toward the alley and fell face forward. As he lay there, Garcia was still breathing and said, “I’m shot.” Other police officers ran to the scene when they heard the gunshot. Officer John Mulligan testified that Garcia was conscious, moaning, and still breathing when he arrived. Sergeant Chiczewski called for an ambulance, which arrived within a couple of minutes. By the time the ambulance arrived, Garcia was dead.

Officer Richmond testified that he got out of the car and walked around the rear of the car. Because Richmond thought Garcia might be armed and getting ready to run away, he decided to arrest Garcia. He unholstered his .357 revolver as he got to the driver’s side, approached Garcia from behind with his gun in his right hand, and grasped Garcia’s left shoulder with his left hand. Richmond announced that he was a police officer and Garcia was under arrest. According to Richmond, Garcia put his hands up and then down on the car. Richmond stated that his gun was held near his side in a downward position.

Richmond further testified that Garcia said, “I knew this was going to happen,” then hit Richmond in the face and neck with the back of his right arm. Richmond stated that Garcia began to lunge forward toward the adjacent alley. As Garcia jumped on top of the guardrail separating the alley from the parking lot curb, Garcia fell forward and his jacket came off.

Richmond stated that he tripped over the curb in front of the guardrail while he was holding Garcia by the shoulder. Falling to his knees, Richmond grabbed the guardrail with his right hand and his gun discharged.

Richmond claimed that there was lawful justification for the shooting because Garcia hit him, committing the forcible felony of aggravated battery, and was trying to escape. His firearm discharge report, however, listed the offenses that Garcia committed as auto theft/possession of a stolen motor vehicle, which are not forcible felonies. Aggravated battery was not listed. The report also stated that the officers were investigating a burglary in which an auto was taken. Richmond admitted that the superintendent of police’s general order in effect on the day of the shooting would not have permitted the conscious use of deadly force in this shooting incident and he would not have been justified in using deadly force to consciously shoot Garcia under the circumstances that night.

Chicago police firearms expert Ernest Warner examined Officer Richmond’s .357 revolver, ammunition, and three metal fragments from Garcia’s body. The gun, which was in good operating condition, had various safety features that prevented the weapon from discharging unless the trigger was held in a rearward position as the hammer came forward. The manufacturer considers the revolver’s trigger pull as an additional safety feature. When the revolver is not cocked, the trigger pull is 12 pounds. If cocked, the trigger pull is four pounds.

It was Warner’s expert opinion that Richmond’s finger pulled the trigger in a rearward position.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
606 N.E.2d 490, 238 Ill. App. 3d 385, 179 Ill. Dec. 658, 1992 Ill. App. LEXIS 1845, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/medina-v-city-of-chicago-illappct-1992.