Still Too Much

But we're sure Corp Counsel will call it a win since they "saved" $6 million:

• A $7.9 million jury verdict against the Chicago Police Department has been reduced to $1.9 million by a federal judge who agreed with the verdict but said that amount of money was out of line with the damage suffered by the plaintiff, the Tribune learned today.

  In 2002, Rachelle Jackson rushed to the aid of two female police officers who were involved in a serious auto accident on the South Side.

  In the midst of the crisis, a bystander stole one of the officer's gun, and the police accused Jackson of being involved.

If we recall, Jackson was positively identified as being one of the persons who held the officer in a full-nelson while she was disarmed. And a relative of hers, possibly an uncle, eventually confessed to where the officer's gun was hidden.

Here's the mind-boggling part of the ruling:

• U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo ruled in a Jan. 29 order that although most of the defendant's claims were false, the jury overstepped its authority in awarding her so much money.

"most of [her] claims were false"? Wouldn't that indicate a preponderance of evidence that the plaintiff's entire story was full of shit?