Drug Swallower Wrongful Death Lawsuit Leads to $1.3 Million Settlement

The City of Chicago has reached a $1.3 million settlement in a lawsuit filed over the death of a man who swallowed a bag of drugs during an arrest.

Cue the tort reformers narrative: man swallows drugs on purpose and sues the city. You can hear it already. But all people, including those who are taking drugs, are human beings. Video surveillance shows the man in obvious distress and the police officers just completely ignored him. Because they have drugs, apparently, someone can suffer right in front of you and die without catching your attention. That is just beyond awful and the City of Chicago did the right thing by acknowledging this and settling this case.