Statement on approval by Oak Lawn of settlement to Hadi Abuatelah for excessive force by police

Statement by Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci of Romanucci & Blandin and co-counsel Zaid Abdallah of Abdallah Law:

“The approval of the civil settlement by Oak Lawn to compensate Hadi Abuatelah for excessive force used by police officers is important accountability for his injuries, including a broken nose and significant emotional distress. The video evidence is crystal clear — Hadi was beaten by a gaggle of uniformed police officers. Three white officers using closed fist blows to the head to this Palestinian-American teenager was wholly unreasonable and should never have been used when other tactics were readily available. This young man is only five-foot-four inches and 120 pounds, while one of the officers alone was six-foot-four. This egregious behavior was unreasonable and over-the-top, and it is our hope that the Oak Lawn Police are more mindful going forward of their responsibility of reasonable conduct when engaging with all members of the community.”

Questions to press@rblaw.net.