Cobige v. City of Chicago, No. 10-3728 (7th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this CaseDecedent was arrested on June 10, 2006, and pronounced dead at about 1:30 a.m. on June 12. She died of heart arrhythmia while in lockup. The evidence showed that she experienced severe abdominal pain throughout her confinement and that officers did not respond to pleas for help. A jury found that four police officers violated the Illinois Wrongful Death Act 740 ILCS 180, which requires proof of negligence, and the federal Constitution, 42 U.S.C. 1983, which requires proof of intentional wrong-doing or deliberate indifference to a serious medical need, by allowing decedent to suffer untreated pain. The award was $5,000,000 in compensatory and $4,000 in punitive damages. The Seventh Circuit affirmed as to liability, but vacated and remanded the award. The district court erred in excluding evidence of the decedent's addiction and criminal history to show her life prospects, relevant to calculation of damages.
The court issued a subsequent related opinion or order on September 8, 2011.
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