Chicago Settles Final Suit Over Aggressive DUI Arrests

The City of Chicago announced this week that it has agreed to a settlement in a suit brought by a man falsely charged of DUI, the last of several lawsuits related to a former police officer’s aggressive DUI arrests.

More than 130 DUI arrests made by officer Richard Fiorito have resulted in dismissal after allegations by a number of people that Fiorito was arresting drivers who were not in fact above the legal BAC limit.

Several lawsuits were filed against the city and the officer, charging 63-year-old Fiorito, who resigned in December, with false arrest and malicious prosecution.

The city has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to plaintiffs in the lawsuits, but never admitted that Fiorito was responsible for any wrongdoing.

Claims that Fiorito was arresting drivers who weren’t drunk began cropping up in 2003, according to one plaintiff’s attorney.

Fiorito was never prosecuted in connection with the allegations.