Exclusive: Lawyers Went to Rahm Emanuel, Then Quashed the Laquan McDonald Video

[bananas]

Source: Daily Beast

The mayor’s men demanded that dashcam video be kept confidential for at least several years as part of a $5 million settlement with the teenager’s family.

CHICAGO — City of Chicago lawyers, after meeting with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, demanded the Laquan McDonald family bury the video showing the killing of their son by a police officer.

Emanuel said last month that Stephen Patton, Chicago’s corporation counsel, briefed him “towards the end of March” about what the dashcam video showed and about the proposed $5 million settlement with McDonald’s estate. After that briefing, Patton’s second-in-command, Thomas Platt, drafted settlement language to keep the dashcam video hidden for at least several years, according to emails reviewed by The Daily Beast.

Michael Robbins, an attorney for the McDonald estate, balked at the demand.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/06/exclusive-lawyers-went-to-rahm-then-quashed-the-laquan-mcdonald-video.html

[djean111]

1. Third Wayers always always either skate or come up smelling like roses, because of the money

behind them. I doubt Rahm is worried one little bit - he will either keep his current job, or be given a better one.

[Dustlawyer]

2. If the family decided to take the offer, there was nothing the plaintiff's attorney could do.

They wanted and needed the money, but their settlement would be held up while arguing over the video's release.

Corporations do this all of the time in their settlements, and usually the family takes the money and signs confidentiality clauses in the releases.

We had a client who lost both her mom and dad in the BP Texas City, Texas explosion in 2005. Her name is Eva Rowe, a brave young lady. I have her permission to talk about this as she wants everyone to know that BP murdered her parents. She refused to agree that the BP documents would be confidential. Documents that showed how BP budgeted for the death of their workers when deciding to take short cuts to save money. The case settled at 4 a.m. the morning of trial with our last demand being met, that BP's in- house counsel had to jump in the hotel pool, in front of approximately 20 of his underlings, in his underwear! He had ordered private investigators to follow Ms. Rowe 24/7/365 to get dirt on her and to harass her. He also had them follow us, her attorneys, and take pictures of our families, homes, etc., looking for dirt on us.

It wasn't about the money to her and I am proud of her! Proud to have represented her and call her a friend to this day. Check to see if you can find the 60 minutes piece on her and BP. Ed Bradley came out of retirement (he secretly was dying of cancer at the time) to make her his last story. I am not good enough at these internets to do it, but would love to have and save it!

[Festivito]

4. Good story! Bad press then, versus, murder charges here though.

Although, why corporations do not get the death penalty while enjoying first amendment rights of personhood still eludes me.

[Dustlawyer]

5. Easy, $$$$$$$$$$$!!!!

BP has corrupted the legal process in the Gulf oil spill litigation as well. We have to do something to reign in corporate influence! They control EVERYTHING NOW!!!

Why Bernie over Hillary, because he vows to stop it and she takes their money!

[Festivito]

8. 911 payoffs were designed to do the same thing -- thwart discovery.

Our justice system and voting system fail us.

[Dustlawyer]

10. Funny, they both used Ken Feinberg to decide who got how much.

He screwed everyone.

[Festivito]

15. Yes, but that is his job once discovery is thwarted by someone else.

He'd certainly have no working desire to stop courts from hiding such information.

[24601]

12. Arthur Anderson, LLP did receive a corporate death penalty because surrender of its CPA license put

it out of business effective August 31, 2002.

Of course, its conviction was overturned by a unanimous Supreme Court in 2005; however, the company was already dead.

It is an example of why the death penalty should not be carried out before the appeals are exhausted.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/31/AR2005053100491.html

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/04-368.ZS.html

[Festivito]

14. Due process is due its workers and owners. eom

[Stuart G]

3. This paragraph tells the story...

This paragraph says it all.................."Emanuel said last month that Stephen Patton, Chicago’s corporation counsel, briefed him “towards the end of March” about what the dashcam video showed and about the proposed $5 million settlement with McDonald’s estate. After that briefing, Patton’s second-in-command, Thomas Platt, drafted settlement language to keep the dashcam video hidden for at least several years, according to emails reviewed by The Daily Beast

March..right before the mayoral election of 2015........it was April 7, 2015..If this had come out in late March, Emanuel might have lost..and, this is new information as far as I am concerned..never read about this so called "briefing" anywhere else..

from the Daily Beast story:________________________________________________________________________________________


"Emanuel has maintained since McDonald’s death that he has never seen the dashcam video, but the emails prove the mayor knew exactly what the footage showed when city lawyers negotiated a deal that would at least delay the video’s release. Attorneys for McDonlad's estate sent Platt screenshots of the video and a detailed description"

[Baitball Blogger]

7. Rahm should be removed.

Wonder how the legal process works?

[Baitball Blogger]

6. These confidentiality clauses should be proof of racketeering and

there should be no statute of limitations.

[YOHABLO]

9. How much of that 5 million will the family actually get? Probably about 1/3rd of it.

The lawyers will get all the rest. The lawyers always make out like bandits.

[blackspade]

11. Rahm Emanuel is so crooked.

And an asshole.

[Angry Dragon]

13. Rahm should lose his job

[billhicks76]

16. Rahm = Hillary