Guevara Wrongful Conviction Settlement

At a glance

• What: A proposed settlement order resolving 16 wrongful-conviction lawsuits (17 plaintiffs) for $260,814,000, paid in four equal installments of just over $65 million between April 2027 and October 2028.
• Where it stands: Recommended do pass by the Finance Committee on October 5, 2026. The Law Department said potential liability exceeded $500 million, and approval would reduce pending cases of this kind from 41 to about 23 once two further settlements are also approved.
• Next: Full Council action.

Log

2026-10-05 - Committee on Finance

The Law Department said the plaintiffs together spent 383.55 years in custody (about $680,000 per year of custody) and that all had convictions vacated; all but two have certificates of innocence. Aldermen asked about tracking settlement spending against the budget and about attorney fees; the item received a do pass recommendation.

Sources

• Committee video (Vimeo auto-generated captions): https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1232129590