Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Once Again, No Justice

  • A former CTA bus driver was acquitted Tuesday on charges that he lied about being beaten up by an off-duty Chicago Police sergeant.

    But although 43-year Ricardo Mendoza was cleared of disorderly conduct and obstruction of justice, Cook County Judge James Linn lambasted him and called him “selfish and greedy” for filing a federal lawsuit against the city.

    “None of this needs to be in court,” Linn said, referencing Mendoza’s criminal case and apparently the $1 million he was seeking in his pending civil suit tied to the Sept. 12, 2009 incident.

The judge all but called the former CTA employee a liar, but his lawyers are proceeding apace with their lawsuit for "damages," even though no damages can be documented.

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21 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

They should make a complaint with the ardc against the lawyers in the case.

10/19/2011 12:26:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's exactly this type of shit that prevented me from being hired with another law enforcement agency. FUCK I hate Shitcago!

10/19/2011 12:32:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The city has been a free piggy bank for "connected" lawyers for years. I couldn't even guess how many of these bogus lawsuits have been "settled" and money handed out to bullshit victims. A good chunk of that money goes right back to politicians and their ilk. Business as usual in Chicago.

10/19/2011 12:39:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who is the Chief Judge?

10/19/2011 01:04:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

only in crook county.

10/19/2011 01:43:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Linn's a liberal weirdo. why wasnt he guilty if he lied. wtf

10/19/2011 01:50:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Seems like the good sergeant should be counter suing, if for no other reason, just to discourage these jag lawyers from their bottom feeding attempts to smear his good name.

10/19/2011 05:56:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The crooked Juges & Lawyers in this County will bend over backwards to keep their shyster buddies in business. Time for another Operation Graylord.

10/19/2011 07:14:00 AM  
Blogger Ray said...

That Sgt. has retired and moved along to enjoy life outside of this whole of a city.

10/19/2011 07:54:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is a good example of why the State's Attorney's Office has been filing motions for substitution of judge when cases get assigned to Judge James Linn so that cases gets kicked to another courtroom. He picks and chooses when he feels like following the law. Outrageous.

10/19/2011 08:07:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Judge turned out to be a spineless stroke!!! All this hot air about the defendant lying blah blah blah but judge didn't have the balls to convict on any charges.
What a shit hole we live in!

10/19/2011 08:33:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Isnt a former PO going to prison for the exact same thing??? Double standard...this place sucks!

10/19/2011 08:40:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The chief judge is Timothy Evans who was passed-over in favor of
Sawyer as mayor when Richard J. Daley died.

10/19/2011 10:19:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The big picture everyone forgot so fast THE JUDGE LET HIM GO. Maybe a list of shitbird judges should be compiled and posted before elections.

10/19/2011 10:51:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why at the least can't the Sgt. sue for damages??? Sounds like he gots a good case if its all on record.

10/19/2011 12:25:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bottom line, he still has the lawsuit in federal court. No telling how that will end up. Stranger things have happened

10/19/2011 01:20:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've had several cases in front of Judge Linn, stands up for the coppers, good guy.

10/19/2011 02:58:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
The chief judge is Timothy Evans who was passed-over in favor of
Sawyer as mayor when Richard J. Daley died.

10/19/2011 10:19:00 AM


Evans was passed over when Harold Washington died, NOT Richard J. Daley.

10/19/2011 06:29:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Judge Linn is a former ASA, good guy-appreciates the police........nothing out of line with his ruling. He has no standing in the civil suit, just like a judge in traffic court on accident cases.

10/19/2011 10:30:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The standard for proof in a criminal case is "beyond a reasonable" doubt.

The Judge may have felt the driver was lying about being hit, but didn't feel it met that standard.

The video in the case didn't show the Sergeant hitting the driver, but it was a bit obscured by the "shield" the CTA uses. That may have been enough to let the driver be found "not guilty".

What is certainly clear from the evidence is that the driver sustained no serious injuries and it's doubtful he was even touched nevermind knocked out.

The evidence points to a scenario where the driver cut the off duty biking Sergeant off. The Sergeant got on the bus and yelled a bit, but didn't touch the driver. As the Judge said the incident then "escalated" as egos and supervisors from the CTA got involved.

Worse case is O'Grady lost his temper while biking. I can't condone that, but I've done damn near the same thing myself while biking. I Almost got run over by some women with her cellphone glued to her ear and driving an oversized German made SUV in Lincoln Park. GRRRRRRR. I may have directed some profane language in her direction. Or not.

Anyway be glad he video existed and there was no proof that the driver was touched.

10/20/2011 02:02:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Judge Linn is a former ASA, good guy-appreciates the police........nothing out of line with his ruling.


OK friend of Linn, your an ass too

10/20/2011 09:51:00 PM  

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