Chicago Tribune

Year after jury's record award in off-duty shooting, victim awaits payout while Chicago cop collects a paycheck

CHICAGO - Michael LaPorta's wheelchair is falling apart.

The specially equipped van he uses to get around his South Side neighborhood needs serious repair. The lift he uses to get in and out his front door occasionally goes on the fritz, too.

A year ago, a federal jury found that LaPorta's childhood friend - an off-duty Chicago cop - shot him in the head after a night of heavy drinking. The West Morgan Park man's injuries were so catastrophic, he can no longer walk, read or live independently.

Jurors awarded LaPorta a record $44.7 million after a civil trial, deciding that the Chicago Police Department's unwritten policies emboldened the officer and instilled the idea that he could act with impunity.

But 12 months after that landmark decision, LaPorta has not received anything from the city. With the case mired in a typically lengthy appeals process, his parents still struggle to provide their adult son with round-the-clock care. His mother had an emergency heart procedure late last year, and his 62-year-old father,

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