Cook County Workers To Get $14 Million In Inmate Harassment Suit

COOK COUNTY, IL—Cook County public defenders and law clerks, including more than 530 women, could soon receive $14 million as part of a class-action lawsuit that claims they were subjected to a hostile work environment that involved male inmates who would masturbate in front of them, according to Bloomberg Law.

The lawsuit, which was originally filed in 2017, claimed that Sheriff Tom Dart and Public Defender Amy Campanelli didn't do enough to prevent a hostile work environment.

Under a proposed settlement, the public defenders and law clerks would get a minimum of $9.5 million, and the rest, which is about 30 percent, would go to their lawyers.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, the judge ordered inmates who engaged in such behavior to wear uniforms that limit their access to their groin region. He also ordered that they be handcuffed with their hands behind their backs when they meet with their attorneys and during transport between jail and court.

In response to the lawsuit, Dart and Campanelli have denied ignoring the problem and allowing a harsh work environment.

Read the full story in the Chicago Sun Times.