WTTW - Chicago Tonight: Federal Court Certifies Cass Action Lawsuit Against CPD for its “Stop and Frisk” Practices

Chicago police misconduct attorney Antonio Romanucci of Romanucci & Blandin and Rashawn Lindsey, one of the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against the City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) for its widespread stop and frisk practices, join WTTW Chicago to discuss the recent certification of the class action. At an August 31, 2021 hearing related to the case Smith vs. City of Chicago, Federal District Court Judge Andrea R. Woods orally ruled that Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification for injunctive relief for their Fourth Amendment claims was granted. Plaintiffs allege that the CPD had a longstanding dragnet practice of stopping and frisking young and middle-aged Black and Hispanic residents, predominantly men, within certain neighborhoods without any lawful justification – which is clearly unconstitutional. The landmark case is the first one to confront stop and frisk in Chicago and Attorney Romanucci estimates that more than 2 million people might be eligible to join the class action lawsuit.