A Coalition of Chicago Business, Civic and Religious Leaders File a Historic Amicus Brief to Hold the City of Chicago Accountable for Jon Burge’s 20-Year Torture Regime

James Gibson, the plaintiff in the case for which Pillsbury filed a friend of the court brief, was exonerated after spending over 29 years in prison for a double murder he did not commit. Gibson is one of hundreds of Black men tortured into a false confession by Chicago Police Department officer Jon Burge and officers under his command. “Burge’s methods [of abuse] included administering electric shocks to victims’ genitals, suffocating them with typewriter covers, threatening them with loaded guns and burning them on radiators,” according to findings by the April 2016 Police Accountability Task Force Report in Chicago.

After his exoneration in April 2019, Gibson sued the City of Chicago and the CPD officers who violated his constitutional rights by torturing him in December 1989. Gibson is seeking to hold the city accountable under Monell v. Dep’t of Soc. Servs., 436 U.S. 658 (1978), for violating his constitutional rights through the custom or practice of torture carried out by Jon Burge and officers under his command.

The 47 amici represented by Pillsbury are a diverse and experienced group of Chicagoland leaders who have joined together to provide the court with crucial context about the social and economic costs of Burge’s torture. 

Russ Rosenzweig, a business and nonprofit leader, explained: “At this critical moment in history, our coalition is urging that the City of Chicago leadership take meaningful actions to address the irreparable damage done by Jon Burge and The Midnight Crew to hundreds of Black men. I truly can’t comprehend why the city’s acclaimed legal department is so steadfastly committed to defending the indefensible. And using taxpayer’s money along with precious time and resources—hundreds of hours of time—which could otherwise, in my opinion, be deployed to help the homeless, or on the unprecedented violence that our city’s facing, or to help the Black community rather than outrage it. Mayor Lightfoot and city leadership in the legal department: please—marshal the courage and do the right thing. Apologize for the evil acts that were done, settle this case with honor, and give some dignity to James and the other victims who have been suffering for decades.”

City leadership (including the past three mayors and the city council), city agencies and several commissions have admitted and apologized for pattern and practice of torture by Burge and his officers. Despite these public admissions, the city continues to deny these same facts in court. 

The amicus provides insights on how the city’s litigation tactics delay justice for Gibson and other Burge victims, squander taxpayer dollars on expensive private counsel, and reduce essential investments in the very communities targeted by Jon Burge and his gang of crooked cops.

“Over two decades, Jon Burge’s torture machine systematically shattered and stole the lives of hundreds of Black men,” said Jeetander Dulani, special counsel with Pillsbury, who represents the amici. “The city can no longer spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to stonewall his victims and delay justice. James Gibson and the people of Chicago deserve better.”

Amici are united in having the truth about Burge’s pattern of torture recognized as an undisputed fact by the court.

Pillsbury is proud to be part of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (LFAA), which plays a crucial role in helping identify pro bono opportunities, such as this one, that target and rectify racial injustice. Pillsbury’s work on this case is rooted in the firm’s dedication to pro bono work, a steadfast commitment to racial justice and an aspiration to meaningfully collaborate with other LFAA alliance firms for broader impact. 

“I am proud that these talented Pillsbury attorneys stepped up, volunteering their training, skills, and time to address through the legal system an issue that, at bottom, has uniquely and tragically impacted Black men,” said Stacie Yee, partner and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Pillsbury, leader of Pillsbury’s Equal Justice Initiative, and co-leader with Gina DelChiaro of Akerman, LLP of the LFAA’s Policing Working Group which sourced this project along with Nefertiti Alexander of Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP. “We can only make a difference if attorneys are willing to step up and do the work. Highlighting the power of partnerships, this impactful brief was the product of significant efforts by my Pillsbury colleagues and by other friends within the LFAA alliance.”      

In addition to Jeetander Dulani, the Pillsbury team included associates Chloe Stepney and Emily Huang.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is an international law firm with a particular focus on the technology & media, energy, financial, and real estate & construction sectors. The firm’s pro bono caseload is as varied as our lawyers’ interests, ranging from affordable housing to civil liberties, advocacy for victims of abuse and voting rights.

The Law Firm Antiracism Alliance is a catalyst for collaboration. The alliance's more than 300 firms—which include more than 165,000 attorneys—are working together to help identify and dismantle systemic and structural racism in the law.