In the Appellate Court of Illinois, First Judicial District, Lorenzo Davis, represented by his attorney, is the Plaintiff-Appellee/Cross-Appellant against the City of Chicago, the Defendant-Appellant/Cross-Appellee. The case ID is 1-22-1888 and was filed on March 14, 2024.
Lorenzo Davis, a supervising investigator for the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA), alleged that the City of Chicago unlawfully retaliated against him resulting in his termination for repeatedly upholding charges of excessive force. He contended that this violated sections 15(b) and 20 of the Whistleblower Act. In a previous trial, he was awarded $2 million for emotional distress which was later reduced to $100,000 on appeal. However, Davis did not consent to this reduction leading to a retrial.
During the retrial, Davis was awarded $1.1 million for emotional distress - $600,000 for already experienced distress and $500,000 for future distress. The City of Chicago appealed this decision arguing it lacked evidentiary support and was a result of passion and prejudice. Additionally, Davis cross-appealed from an order that awarded him only half of his attorney fees from November 7, 2018 to February 1, 2022 and none of his litigation costs.
Davis seeks judgment affirming the jury's award and reversal of the order reducing his attorney fees by over 50%. He also seeks remand for a new hearing on fee petitions.