The Law Offices of Storino, Ramello & Durkin

Storino, Ramello & Durkin Defends Police Officers

June 15, 2005

CHICAGO, IL - On Tuesday, June 14, 2005, a jury in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois returned a verdict vindicating six police officers who had been charged with the use of excessive force, false arrest, battery and defamation. The plaintiffs in the case had sought $6.5 million in damages. The police officers were represented by Michael K. Durkin, Richard J. Ramello and Angelo Del Marto of the law offices of Storino, Ramello & Durkin. The case, Gregory Ernst, Ronald Keyes and Leda Keyes, Plaintiffs, vs. Officer William Anderson, Officer Frank Siciliano, Officer Peter Canzoneri, Officer Charles Lombardi, Officer Lyle Richmond, Officer Michael Simi and the Village of Rosemont, Defendants, was tried before the Honorable John W. Darrah from May 24, 2005 until June 14, 2005. The jury found in favor of the defendant police officers on all of the counts of the complaint.

The plaintiffs attended the Stevie Nicks concert at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on July 10, 2001. During the concert, other concertgoers complained to police officers that Ronald Keyes was causing a disturbance, intoxicated and smoking marijuana. After responding three times, the police officers requested that Mr. Keyes leave the seating area and accompany them to the lobby. Instead, Mr. Keyes began to resist one of the police officers. He was then brought under control, handcuffed and arrested. Later, while in the lobby of the arena, he battered and spit in the face of another police officer. Mr. Keyes was charged with three counts of battery. In the criminal case, Mr. Keyes was found not guilty on two counts and the third count was stayed on leave to reinstate. Mr. Keyes thereafter filed a federal lawsuit claiming, among other things, that his civil rights had been violated by the alleged excessive force used during the arrest. Eleven months later, he amended his complaint to claim that he had been sexually molested while in custody at the police station.

Mr. Keyes claimed that he developed post traumatic stress disorder from the incident, underwent multiple hospitalizations and received extensive psychiatric treatment. Mrs. Keyes claimed loss of consortium. Another plaintiff, Gregory Ernst, a Cook County Sheriff’s Department officer who had accompanied the Keyes to the concert, claimed that he was defamed by a memorandum written by the arresting officer.

The evidence presented at trial by the defense showed that the force used to subdue Mr. Keyes was appropriate and that he was not sexually molested while in custody. The defense uncovered evidence that Mr. Keyes was an alcoholic and cocaine addict suffering from bipolar disorder, psychosis and hallucinations which predated the concert. The defense also presented evidence that Mr. Keyes did not report any sexual molestation to his family physician during an examination the next day. The defense team additionally introduced evidence to the jury which they had uncovered that the marital relationship between the Keyes had deteriorated long before the incident.

Finally, the Storino, Ramello & Durkin attorneys asserted and proved that Gregory Ernst was not defamed by the memorandum. The Storino, Ramello & Durkin attorneys coordinated the defense of the police officers with Peter M. Rosenthal of the firm of Rosenthal, Murphey & Coblentz who represented the Village of Rosemont. Prior to trial, the plaintiffs had demanded $4.5 million dollars to settle their claims.