Personal Injury Law

Woman Claims Will County, Illinois Wrongful Death of Unborn Fetus Occurred Because Security Guard Was Racially Biased

Candice Williams is seeking $50 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages for the death of her unborn fetus. Williams was a pregnant high school senior in 2008 when police allegedly used excessive force to drag her from Crete-Monee High School, push her to the ground, and knee her back.

Williams says that because of the incident, the fetus she was carrying did not survive. She filed her Will County wrongful death lawsuit last year.

Now, Williams is accusing one of the school security guards who participated in her arrest of being prejudiced. Williams is black. The guard, Marilyn Reid, is white. In court documents filed in Chicago yesterday, Reid is accused of using the ?n-word? when dealing with a black suspect and of showing a paper version of a Ku Klux Klan mask to a black co-worker.

Williams says problems with the school?s security team began when she and other schoolmates complained to the school superintended about the inadequate security at the school. She claims that while waiting for a bus at around 5:30 on April 3, 2008, Reid and another guard ordered students to exit the building. The plaintiff says she went toward the exit but waited in a vestibule because she was anemic, pregnant, and cold. A teacher accused her of trespassing and asked the guards to contact the authorities.

When police officers arrived, Williams claims that Reid pointed toward her, and the cops pushed her. She says that they were told she was pregnant, but that didn?t stop Officer Richard Pasquini from using his knee to strike her in the back. He also allegedly threatened to Taser her. The following day, Williams learned that her 9-week-old fetus did not have a heartbeat. She also says that her college scholarship was taken away.

The officers have denied using excessive violence when apprehending Williams, who was charged with trespassing. She was later found not guilty.

Illinois Police Brutality
If you were the victim of excessive use of force by police, you should explore your legal options for filing an Illinois police brutality claim immediately. Even if the officers deny using violence and no formal charges are filed against them, your Will County, Illinois police brutality lawyer may be able to prove liability and negligence so that you can obtain the injury compensation owed to you. Verbal abuse, sexual assault, physical violence, psychological violence, and emotional abuse are just some examples of police violence. Not only is Chicago police brutality a violation of your civil rights but it can lead to personal injury and wrongful death. If your injury occurred on someone else's property, you may have grounds for filing a Chicago premises liability lawsuit.

Suit: Arrest killed fetus, Sun-Times, February 10, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Crete-Monee High School

Top 5 Police Brutality Videos

Full post as published by Chicago Injury Attorney Blog on February 10, 2010 (boomark / email).