The Chicago Sun Times reports that Candice Williams, who was an honor roll student at Crete-Monee High School and pregnant at the time, claims her fetus died as a result of a security guard's violent actions in 2008. Security guard Marilyn Reid and the Village of Crete are named as defendants.
Ms. Williams claims that after a workout with her track team on April 3, 2008, she was sitting on a bench inside the school waiting for a bus. Ms. Reid and another guard told her and some other students to leave the building. She says she walked toward the exit, but waited for her friends at the vestibule.
Ms. Reid again reportedly told her to go outside, but Ms. Williams allegedly said she was pregnant and it was too cold outside. A teacher told the guards that Ms. Williams was trespassing, but Ms. Williams refused to leave and off-duty police officers were called to the scene:
"The next thing I remember my face and chest was slammed against the wall of the vestibule and I was out the door," Ms. Williams said in the deposition. "I recall telling them [the police officers] I was pregnant."
While recovering in the hospital the morning after the incident, Ms. Williams learned that her 9-week-old fetus did not have a heartbeat.
In court papers cited by reporters, the officers denied the use of excessive force or that they tried to cover anything up.
Illinois injury attorney Brendan Shiller who is representing Ms. Williams, filed documents in federal court in Chicago which include Ms. Reid's job records. In one offense, according to reporters who viewed the documents, she hurled the "n-word" at an African-American woman who was under arrest, in addition to other racially motivated offenses.
Ms. Reid claims that the alleged attack was motivated by racism. Her federal wrongful death lawsuit is seeking $50 million dollars in compensatory damages and another $50 million dollars in punitive damages.
Related Resources:
-
Wrongful Death - Overview (FindLaw)
-
Punitive Damages (LawBrain)
ShareThis
