Daley May Not Have to Answer Burge Questions

It is likely that former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley will not have to testify about the Burge torture scandal because the city is seeking a settlement with torture victims.

A federal judge has ordered Daley to sit for a deposition in the case of Michael Tillman, who was tortured by police under former commander Jon Burge. That means Daley would have to answer questions on what he knew about the Burge torture scandal and when.

Many of the Burge victims were prosecuted and sent to prison when Daley was the Cook County state's attorney, but it's very possible that Daley will never have to answer those questions because the city is engaged in settlement negotiations on the Tillman case.

The revelation came in a hearing in federal court last week when Judge Elaine Bucklo asked about the status of those negotiations.

City attorneys said they would get a response to the torture victims by the end of this week. Neither the city nor the attorneys for the torture victims will comment on the negotiations.

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