Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration is hoping big bucks will make an embarrassing situation go away.
City officials are seeking to pay Karolina Obrycka $850,000 if a federal judge will overturn last month's jury verdict in her case against former Chicago Police officer Anthony Abbate.
"This agreement, in my view, closes a chapter on something before I was mayor happened, and it also allows us to protect the city against future lawsuits," Emanuel said Tuesday.
Abbate was off-duty when his vicious beating of Obrycka, who was working as a bartender, was captured on videotape. The jury found that the police department's "code of silence" obstructed the investigation in order to protect Abbate.
"I have zero tolerance for anybody who thinks they are above the law," Emanuel said, adding that anyone who watched the video was disgusted by what they saw.
Obrycka filed the motion jointly with the city because it would allow her to collect her award without going through an appeals process, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Though the city and Obrycka have filed the motion in concert, U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve must give it a green light.
