ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst’s background investigation into a police officer candidate was the subject of a lawsuit in which the candidate sought millions in damages.
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Last year, the city prevailed in a jury trial. But the job candidate, Amanda Reid, appealed.
Earlier this month, Elmhurst aldermen voted to settle with her for $5,000.
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Last fall, the city’s law firm, Storino, Ramello & Durkin, said in a news release that Reid had sought more than $4 million in damages.
In her employment application in 2019, Reid left out any reference to two previous employers where she had been asked to resign pending her firing, the firm said.
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Michael Lappe, a civilian background investigator for the police, discovered the omissions.
Responding to a request for information, Lappe provided a copy of his background investigation report to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, where Reid worked as a jailer, according to the city’s law firm.
Reid claimed the report was false and defamatory.
Through a public records request, Patch obtained court documents in the case.
The lawsuit focused on Reid’s departure as a 911 dispatcher from the Western Will County Communications Center in 2016.
According to the lawsuit, Lappe wrote that Reid, a Chicago resident, was to be informed of her termination because of a “variety of failures.” She was offered the option to resign, where a positive letter would be included in her personnel file.
Instead, Reid “stormed out” and headed to another person’s office, where she slammed the door shut, pulled the blinds down and swore repeatedly, Lappe said.
The report said Reid’s supervisor then saw her leave and that he believed she was retrieving a weapon from her car. Plainfield police were notified, police said. Lappe’s report stated no weapon was found on Reid.
Lappe’s report also said Reid had a “violent temper and (tendencies) for violence.”
Court documents state Reid’s Will County supervisor denied making any such statements. No record of a call made to Plainfield police was found.
The lawsuit said Lappe sent his background report to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, where Reid worked. The false information, she said, triggered an investigation by her employer.
One of the results was Reid lost out on promotions, even though she rated high, the lawsuit said. The Cook County Sheriff’s Merit Board sought her termination, all because of the “wrongful disclosure,” Reid alleged. It was unclear whether the sheriff’s office ultimately fired her.
The lawsuit maintained Lappe exceeded the scope of his duties by turning over his report to Cook County without being asked to produce it.
Reid’s law firm, Disparti Law Group, known for its slogan “Larry Wins,” has not returned messages for comment.
In a statement to Patch earlier this month, Mayor Scott Levin said the city could not justify continuing to spend money on lawyers when the latest settlement request was $5,000.
“I’m very proud of our lawyers,” Levin said. “They did a great job. It was a very aggressive case. And we stood by our guys,” referring to the police department.
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