A Chicago man has received one of the largest individual payouts for a wrongful conviction in the country, his attorney says.
Rodell Sanders was awarded $15 million from the city of Chicago Heights after he spent nearly 20 years in prison fighting to prove his innocence. Now the father of three continues to fight to prove the innocence of others.
“I’ve lost years with my family, I’ve lost years with my children, many, many things I lost that I can never get back,” Sanders said.
Sanders was wrongfully convicted of a 1993 murder. He and his attorneys claim Chicago Heights police doctored a photo lineup and used a paid informant to tie Sanders to the crime.
“In 1993, 1994, the Chicago Heights Police Department had a string of police officers who were corrupt,” attorney Russell Ainsworth said. “Seven of them were indicted and convicted by federal law enforcement officers.”
On Wednesday, the mayor of Chicago Heights, David A. Gonzalez, released a statement that says “the settlement, in which no wrongdoing has been assigned to the city of Chicago Heights Police Department, seeks to protect the interests of tax payers and to forge community unity in our diverse city.”
Sanders now works at Loevy and Loevy Law Firm—the same firm that represented him in the federal lawsuit that landed the hefty sum.
Local
“We actually hired him as a law clerk,” Ainsworth said of Sanders.
Sanders and his attorneys say they hope the case is a lesson.
“Rodell Sanders’ conviction was a sad product of a system that didn't hold its police officers accountable,” Ainsworth said.
Sanders says he plans on taking a vacation to Jamaica.
“I’ve lived a happy life these two years,” Sanders said. “I’m happy.”
