The CTA should pay $3 million to a lady who killed and dismembered her North Facet landlord after an Illinois appeals court docket dominated {that a} trial decide correctly shielded jurors from studying in regards to the then-pending homicide case throughout her private harm lawsuit towards the transit company.
Sadly for Sandra Kalalou, also referred to as Sandra White, is that she will likely be in jail till at the very least July 2076, when she will likely be 90 years previous.
In a December 31 order, the Illinois First District Appellate Court docket confirmed a $2.8 million jury verdict towards the Chicago Transit Authority stemming from a 2018 bus crash through which Kalalou was struck whereas strolling in a crosswalk. The court docket rejected the CTA’s arguments that the case ought to have been delayed or the decision decreased as a result of Kalalou was later charged, and finally convicted, of homicide and associated crimes.
“However,” the court docket wrote, “our determination shouldn’t be learn as an endorsement of White’s conduct.”
After the civil case ended, a separate jury convicted Kolalou of the October 2022 slaying and dismemberment of 69-year-old Frances Walker in West Ridge. Kalalou acquired a 58-year sentence for homicide, dismembering a human physique, and id theft.
The civil case arose from a March 1, 2018, incident through which a CTA bus driver hit Kalalou, inflicting orthopedic and neurological accidents that she claimed resulted in power again and leg ache, future medical wants, and long-term lack of a traditional life. The CTA admitted negligence, and the dispute centered solely on the quantity of damages Kalalou ought to obtain.
In October 2022, whereas the civil case was pending, Kalalou was charged with first-degree homicide, dismemberment of a human physique, concealment of a murder, theft, and aggravated id theft after prosecutors mentioned she killed her Walker and dismembered her physique inside Walker’s dwelling within the 5900 block of North Wastenaw Avenue, the place Kalalou rented a room.
Regardless of the pending expenses, a Cook dinner County decide allowed the private harm case to maneuver ahead below Kalalou’s maiden title, Walker, and barring any reference to the prison case or the truth that Kalalou was being stored within the Cook dinner County Jail because the civil trial was held.
Court docket information present the CTA filed a movement for a brand new trial in Might 2023, citing the poor audio high quality of Kolalou’s deposition, which had been recorded contained in the jail, and her alleged failure to reveal social media accounts.
These social media posts confirmed Kolalou “cliff-jumping, swimming with the dolphins, roller-skating, taking part in tennis, carrying excessive heels, and touring to far-away locations similar to Egypt, South Africa, and Mexico” whereas she was experiencing debilitating leg and again ache, the CTA claimed in a submitting.
A second jury heard the case in October 2023 and returned a $2.8 million verdict, together with $400,000 for future medical care and $500,000 for future lack of regular life.
The CTA argued that the trial ought to have been postponed till the homicide case concluded and that jurors ought to have been instructed Kalalou may spend the remainder of her life in jail, making future damages speculative.
On New Yr’s Eve, an appellate court docket rejected these claims, noting the CTA by no means sought a proper keep of the civil case and failed to supply admissible proof exhibiting how incarceration would negate her claimed damages.
The justices additionally emphasised that, on the time of the trials, Kalalou had not but been convicted, making the result of her prison case unsure. Below Illinois legislation, proof of unrelated prison expenses is usually inadmissible due to its prejudicial impact, the panel mentioned.
Kalalou was convicted in April 2024 and later sentenced to 58 years in jail for the killing and dismemberment of her landlord, making certain she is going to spend many years behind bars. Whereas acknowledging the disturbing nature of her crimes, the appellate court docket mentioned its determination shouldn’t be learn as excusing her conduct, however quite as an easy utility of civil legislation and evidentiary guidelines.
The ruling leaves the CTA on the hook for the multimillion-dollar judgment regardless of Kalalou’s later conviction and sentence.
Information of the appellate court docket’s ruling was first reported by Authorized Newsline.
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