$15.5 Million Awarded In Wrongful Arrest Case
More than $15 million in damages was recently awarded to an Illinois man and his wife in a highly publicized civil rights case. The verdict is believed to be the largest ever of its kind to be handed down in the state.
Kevin Fox was arrested in 2004 for the sexual assault and murder of his three-year-old daughter, Riley Fox. After spending eight months in the Will County Jail, Fox was released on the basis of DNA evidence.
Jury Finds Detectives Liable
Fox and his wife, Melissa, filed suit against several of the sheriff’s detectives for false arrest and malicious prosecution, among other things. The jury found the detectives liable for the Foxes’ damages after a seven-week trial and 16 hours of deliberation.
“Everybody should be happy about this verdict, because a jury has stepped up to protect the rights that we all hold dear, and they have sent a message to Will County, and I hope Will County is listening, because this kind of behavior needs to stop,” said Kathleen Zellner, attorney for the Foxes.
The jury awarded Kevin Fox $9.3 million and his wife $6.2 million. Those totals also included punitive damages.