After Chicago aldermen shot down a proposed $1.25 million settlement, lawyers for the family of Dexter Reed have gone back to federal court and asked a judge to restart their civil-rights lawsuit against the city. The move puts Chicago on track to defend four officers at trial over a March 2024 traffic stop that ended with Reed’s death.
An amended complaint filed this week urges U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings to reopen the case and set a trial date now that the City Council has declined to settle. When Judge Cummings closed the suit in November 2024, he said he would reopen it if the council did not sign off on the deal, according to WTTW.
Body-camera footage and investigative files show how quickly the stop turned into a gun battle: four officers fired roughly 96 rounds in about 41 seconds, Reed was hit 13 times, and one officer was wounded early in the exchange. Those numbers and the on-scene timeline are laid out in records reviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times.
In August, the Cook County State’s Attorney announced her office would not bring criminal charges against the officers, saying the available evidence could not meet the high burden required for prosecution. That decision left the federal civil case as the family’s main channel for their claims and any potential accountability, as reported by ABC7 Chicago.
The revised lawsuit leans on misconduct and accountability findings that predate the March shooting. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability and Superintendent Larry Snelling concluded the same tactical team violated the rights of other motorists in two traffic stops just days before Reed was killed and recommended suspensions. Court records also show city lawyers have until Dec. 2 to respond to the new complaint, according to WTTW.
The march back toward trial follows a 12 to 15 vote in April by the City Council’s Finance Committee, which rejected a recommendation from the city’s own attorneys to settle the case for $1.25 million. That vote stalled the deal and kept the lawsuit headed toward a courtroom showdown, as reported by WBEZ.
“This case started with an unconstitutional traffic stop and ended with the tragic death of Dexter Reed,” the family’s lawyer, Andrew M. Stroth, said at an earlier news conference. He argued the complaint lays out a pattern of unconstitutional stops instead of a one-off encounter, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
What Comes Next
If Judge Cummings reopens the case, the city will be back in discovery and gearing up for a trial over liability and damages. Reed’s family is expected to rely on COPA findings and prior civilian complaints as they press their claims. The original complaint and the family’s broader arguments about department practices, including how tactical units conduct traffic stops, were detailed when the lawsuit was first filed and are summarized by Block Club Chicago.
Prosecutors’ and oversight records released to the public include officer names, forensic summaries and a ballistic timeline that fed into both the criminal review and the civil claims. A prosecutor’s memo and its supporting materials were republished and analyzed by local outlets, including CWBChicago.
With Chicago now back in front of a federal judge, the case could end in a monetary payout, fresh scrutiny of Chicago Police Department traffic-stop tactics and new questions about how well the department is following court-ordered reforms. For now, the family’s push to revive the lawsuit keeps the fight over both facts and policy pointed toward a jury, unless aldermen or the city change course again.
