defamation of character/slander

[Chicago_Cop]

I am a Police Officer that performed his job. I ran a randon check of a plate on a vehicle that is the number one stolen vehicle in the city of Chicago. The occupant immediately upon the stop of his vehicle that hit on a leads warrant for armed and dangerous stated that he did nothing wrong and further stated he was only pulled over because he was black. Further investigation revealed that he was not the owner of the vehicle, but the owners friend. An investigation by the Police Department was launched on that complaint. As of 01 Jan 2004, a signed affidavit must accompany a complaint against a sworn police officer. No such affidavit was obtained. I am searching for an attorney who wishes to take such a case for defamation of charcter and slander. 773 485 6513

 

[Michael Wechsler]

I'd venture to say that you probably won't find an attorney willing to take such a case on contingency, if that is what you are seeking. I'd be madder than mad if I were you and I'm sorry to hear that it seems that someone is trying to defame your good name and character by using the race card. Problem here is that (1) I'm not sure how much actual damages can be measured to make any contingency case worthwhile, (2) I'm not sure how deep the pockets of the defendant are here so that a sizable monetary reward would be recovered. Remember, someone has to fund the case and most attorneys will not be willing to take on that risk if the reward wasn't there... after all, they have to eat as well. You may want to take the case to small claims if you want to satisfaction of a judgment but I do not believe that many small claims courts would have subject matter jurisdiction over defamation cases.

Originally posted by Chicago Cop
I am a Police Officer that performed his job. I ran a randon check of a plate on a vehicle that is the number one stolen vehicle in the city of Chicago. The occupant immediately upon the stop of his vehicle that hit on a leads warrant for armed and dangerous stated that he did nothing wrong and further stated he was only pulled over because he was black. Further investigation revealed that he was not the owner of the vehicle, but the owners friend. An investigation by the Police Department was launched on that complaint. As of 01 Jan 2004, a signed affidavit must accompany a complaint against a sworn police officer. No such affidavit was obtained. I am searching for an attorney who wishes to take such a case for defamation of charcter and slander. 773 485 6513