Jude files civil rights lawsuit
Two years after his horrific beating, Frank Jude Jr., filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Monday against the city and several former/current police officers.
Jude and his wife are reportedly seeking unspecified compensation for past and future medical expenses, lost wages and disability, and punitive damages.
In a notice of claim filed with the city, damages of $25 million for Jude and $5 million for his wife, Maria Jude, were reportedly listed.
Their lawsuit names eight defendants, seven of who also face federal criminal charges related to the attack. The lawsuit accuses them of beating Jude and lying about what happened, citing the Milwaukee Police Department’s hiring and training policies as partially to blame for the incident.
Diversifying juror pools
Chairman Lee Holloway recently thanked Milwaukee County Chief Judge, Kitty Brennan for her efforts to diversify the pool of jurors for the Court System in Milwaukee County. Previously, the County Board Chair addressed concerns about racially diverse jury pools to various Court officials before and after the Frank Jude proceedings by requesting pertinent information and asking for a clear direction as to what options are available to Milwaukee County under current state law to broaden the County’s prospective jury pool.
In response to Holloway’s concerns, Brennan reported that 30% of Black jurors responded to jury summons, an improvement over past reports that less than 20% of Black Milwaukeeans reported for jury duty.
Grants help local nonprofits
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation Board approved grants totaling nearly $4.4 million to benefit nonprofits in the four-county area in the third quarter of 2006. The foundation has committed $60,000 to fund foundation-sponsored Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) "Super Sites" that brought more than $8.6 million in total refunds--including $5.7 million in tax credits--to working poor families in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties in the 2005 tax season. Over the past four tax seasons, foundation-sponsored "Super Sites" have provided more than $22.6 million in refunds for local low-income families.
"These ‘Super Sites’ provide working poor families with a tremendous opportunity to save and begin to build financial stability," said Doug Jannson.
