LEGRIER’S MOM SAYS CITY ATTORNEYS ASKED IF SHE WAS A PROSTITUTE
A lawyer for the family of the bat- wielding teenager shot dead by a Chicago Police officer in 2015 says city lawyers’ behavior in the case has been “depraved” and “harassing,” including asking the mother of the teen if she had engaged in prostitution.
The motion for sanctions filed this week in the Circuit Court of Cook County comes on the heels of Mayor Rahm Emanuel issuing an apology to the dead teen’s father, after city lawyers moved to file — and then quickly withdrew — a lawsuit against the teen’s estate late last year.
“Apparently, there is no better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to ask a grieving mother if her dabbling in prostitution led to the birth of her dead son,” according to the motion. “There really are no words to describe the depraved behavior attached to asking the above questions to a mother of a teenager that was shot and killed.”
The family of Quintonio LeGrier, the teen who was
“APPARENTLY, THERE IS NO BETTERWAY TO CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY THAN TO ASK A GRIEVING MOTHER IF HER DABBLING IN PROSTITUTION LED TO THE BIRTH OF HER DEAD SON.’’ From amotion for sanctions filed this week in the Circuit Court of Cook County
shot, is suing the City of Chicago and the officer who opened fire, Robert Rialmo, for wrongful death.
Rialmo has been on desk duty since the Dec. 26, 2015, shooting. Rialmo and his partner arrived at the home of LeGrier’s father around 4: 38 a. m. after the father and son had both made calls to 911 from the two- flat at 4710 W. Erie.
Rialmo initially said he rang the doorbell, and neighbor Bettie Jones motioned that there was trouble upstairs. Jones “turned to walk back into her apartment” when Quintonio LeGrier pulled the front door all the way open” with a bat above his head. Rialmo then opened fire, killing LeGrier and Jones.
But investigators with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability have since said the shootings were unjustified, noting that Rialmo was much farther from LeGrier, between the curb in front of the apartment building and the stairs.
In the civil case, city attorneys questioned Quintonio LeGrier’s mother, Janet Cooksey, at a deposition in February. During the questioning, they asked if her son’s birth was a result of prostitution, according to the motion filed this week, according to a transcript.
“Howdid you cometo have a baby with Antonio LeGrier [ Quintonio’s father]?” the city’s lawyer asked. “So Antonio approached you about a sexual relationship in exchange for money; is that correct? And you continued that relationship with him for an exchange of money for some time?”
The LeGrier family attorney, Basileios Foutris, calls the questioning irrelevant and “harassing.”
“None of these questions have anything to do with this lawsuit,” he wrote.
Cooksey categorically denies ever engaging in prostitution, Foutris said.
In a statement, Corporation Counsel Edward Siskel said: “We expect any attorney representing the city to conduct themselves within the bounds set by the courts. There can be no exceptions. We are conducting a review of this motion and deposition, and if we find the attorneys’ questions were outside of the scope allowed by the judge, or if their actions were improper, we will not hesitate to take action.”
Late last year, the city’s Law Department moved to sue the teenager’s estate — a decision that was quickly reversed, with the mayor calling it a mistake. Emanuel insisted he knew nothing of the decision to sue and called LeGrier’s father to apologize.