Joseph Jackson, the strong, fearsome patriarch of the musical Jackson family, has died, according to a person close to the family. Regina Waldroup reports.
A jury has found Chicago Police Officer Robert Rialmo liable on one count in the wrongful death suit filed in the shooting death of 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier.
The jury awarded damages of $1,050,000 to LeGrier’s family in the case.
However, a special interrogatory filed by the jury says that Rialmo acted reasonably when approached by LeGrier. The judge in the case then signed an order negating the damages, meaning there will be no payout to the LeGrier family in the case.
The LeGrier family also filed suit over allegations of false arrest against the Chicago Police Department, but the jury found in favor of the city on that count.
Finally, the jury found in favor of Rialmo, who sued the LeGrier estate, alleging they had deliberately inflicted emotional distress, on him. The jury awarded him no damages in the case.
The civil trial saw testimony from a host of experts and witnesses, including LeGrier’s mother Janet Cooksey and Rialmo himself.
On Dec. 26, 2015, Rialmo responded to a disturbance in the 4700 block of West Erie Street, where LeGrier was staying with his father. The officer says that during the response, LeGrier charged at him with a baseball bat, and Rialmo fired his weapon, killing LeGrier and neighbor Bettie Jones.
