Judge tosses sexual assault lawsuit against former Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson
A federal judge on Wednesday threw out the sexual assault lawsuit against former Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
The lawsuit, filed by Chicago police officer Cynthia Donald in late 2020, accused Johnson of forcing her to engage in sex acts to keep her job. Donald was Johnson’s personal driver when he was on the job.
U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo dismissed all claims against Johnson without allowing the lawsuit to go to trial.
"The basic problem with Donald’s claim is that virtually all the evidence of her conduct suggests that she welcomed and was an active participant in her relationship with Johnson," the judge wrote.
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Johnson’s attorney, Michael Leonard, told news outlets in a statement that the former Chicago police superintendent always acknowledged that he engaged in a consensual relationship with Donald.
"The Court rightfully found that Ms. Donald’s claims of sexual harassment were meritless under the circumstances presented – where Ms. Donald admitted in the litigation to engaging in acts, statements, and conduct that undeniably caused Mr. Johnson to reasonably believe that the parties were in fact engaged in a consensual relationship," Leonard said.
Donald’s attorney, Robert McLaughlin, issued a statement saying "we are disappointed" with the ruling and that she plans to appeal.
Johnson was fired in December 2019 after officers found him passed out behind the wheel of his department SUV. Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot at the time accused him of lying about the incident.
While Johnson admitted to the mayor that he’d had "a couple of drinks" that night, he blamed his condition on a change in blood pressure medication. Later, media reports and surveillance video from a Chicago bar that night revealed he had been drinking heavily.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.