Village council members unanimously approved an $80,000 settlement for a man who claims he was roughly searched by a Forest Park police officer. The agreement, which was completed on March 11 and includes attorneys’ fees and court costs, did not state that the village’s insurer would cover the cost.
Plaintiff Giovanni Lagioia filed the federal suit in February 2018 against the village and police officers Adam Stasinopoulos and Daniel Pater. The village and others named in the suit do not admit liability or wrongdoing, according to the terms of the settlement.
The complaint alleges that, in December 2017, Officer Stasinopoulos pulled over Lagioia although “officers did not have a reasonable suspicion that plaintiff had committed or was committing a crime.” Stasinopoulos called Detective Pater to the scene.
Lagioia alleges officers ordered him out of his sedan and forced him against the car. The complaint says Stasinopoulos then roughly searched him, pulling down Lagioia’s pants, touching his genitals and searching his anal cavity without consent. He claims Pater failed to intervene.
In the complaint, Lagioia also claims officers searched his car without consent or probable cause. Afterward, police “formed an agreement to target plaintiff, falsify reports, and present false evidence,” according to the lawsuit. No charges were filed against Lagioia, and police did not issue him a traffic ticket, according to the suit.
Police Chief Thomas Aftanas said no report exists that corresponded to the alleged incident. Mary Grieb, a lawyer from Chicago-based Shiller Preyar Law Offices who represented Lagioia, did not respond to interview requests.
Nona Tepper
