Chicago is poised to shell out $27 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit tied to a 2017 police chase that ended in a deadly crash, killing 47-year-old Stacy Vaughn-Harrell. City attorneys are recommending a deal that would draw $20 million from taxpayer funds and $7 million from the city’s insurance carrier. The proposal is heading to the City Council’s Finance Committee this week, with a full council vote possible on March 18. Vaughn-Harrell, a mother of six, has become a central figure in an increasingly heated debate over how Chicago police handle pursuits and how much the city is paying for crashes that follow.
According to filings cited by WTTW News, city lawyers told aldermen that "new factual allegations have come to light" since the first trial, prompting them to reassess how much the case is worth. WTTW reports that Officers Shawn Susnis and Megan Ryan chased a white Kia Sorrento on June 24, 2017, for roughly six blocks at speeds approaching 60 mph before the fleeing driver ran a stop sign and slammed into Vaughn-Harrell’s car, killing her and seriously injuring her daughter, Kimberlyn Myers.
Crash and court history
Court filings and an Illinois Appellate Court opinion trace the events that led to the lawsuit. Officers heard gunshots, stopped the Kia, removed a back-seat passenger, and then watched as the vehicle sped away. The Kia later collided with Vaughn-Harrell’s car during the ensuing pursuit. The appellate ruling details that sequence and lays out why the trial court decided a new trial was necessary. For the full filing and procedural history, see the Illinois Appellate Court opinion.
A Cook County jury initially awarded the family $10.2 million in May 2023, according to reporting at the time, but a judge later cited trial errors and ordered a do-over. The appeals court upheld that decision and sent the case back to circuit court. ABC7 Chicago covered the original verdict and what followed.
Settlement trend and city exposure
The proposed payout lands as Chicago is confronting a series of multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements tied to police pursuits. In December 2024, a Cook County jury handed down a nearly $79.85 million award in the Da’Karia Spicer case, a verdict that was ultimately resolved for a smaller amount. CBS Chicago reported on that verdict, which underscored how large the city’s exposure can be in pursuit-related lawsuits.
Investigative reporting has tracked a broader pattern of rising payouts and dozens of pending police-related cases in recent years. For a deeper look at how those deals are stacking up against the city budget, see the analysis from The Chicago Reporter. In many of these cases, the city splits costs between direct payments and insurance coverage, and how the Department of Law structures those agreements can shape the immediate hit to taxpayers and whether Chicago risks more trials and appeals.
What comes next
The Finance Committee is scheduled to take up the Department of Law’s recommendation in mid-March, with a possible full City Council vote on March 18, according to filings reviewed by WTTW News. If aldermen sign off, the settlement would close this chapter of litigation, although it is likely to reignite political fights over the Chicago Police Department’s pursuit rules and when officers are expected to call off a chase to protect bystanders.
City lawmakers have already shown they are willing to balk at large police pursuit payouts. In February, the Finance Committee rejected an $8.3 million recommended settlement in another pursuit-related death, signaling that upcoming votes on this and similar cases will be closely tracked and politically charged.
