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Press Release
January 17, 2025, Ekl, Williams & Provenzale LLC filed a 7-count complaint against the Woodridge Police Department and several of its officers on behalf of our client, Derrick House. A copy of the complaint, and police body camera video footage of what happened on January 19, 2024, may all be viewed on the ABOUT / NEWS page of our firm site.
On January 19, 2024, Derrick was driving home from Costco to make dinner with his wife and kids when an unmarked Woodridge squad car rushed up and abruptly cut in front of him, pinning his car to the curb. Immediately, in sheer terror and unimaginable stress and tension for Derrick, multiple Woodridge police officers surrounded Derrick, standing feet away from Derrick, pointing their guns at his head, barking out contradictory commands, and threatening to kill him.
They had the wrong man and the wrong car for the report they were acting on, and everything about Derrick and his car told the involved officers before any of this happened that they had the wrong car – wrong number of occupants; wrong make of VW; wrong color of car; and most incredulously, the wrong plate – in fact, the plates were so obviously not close, much less the same, that it only took a matter of seconds from when Derrick was placed in handcuffs, in front of a street full of Derrick’s DuPage neighbors, for all of the involved officers to know it was the wrong car. The reason this happened is not just a tragic mistake, not just bad police work; it happened because Derrick was a black man driving a VW SUV.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the defendants say they acted reasonably, even though the real suspects remained in the area and were allowed to remain a threat to the community. We cannot disagree more.
Derrick escaped those perilous moments with his life that day, but he has not escaped, and likely never will, the terror and turmoil of those moments. Patrick Provenzale and his colleagues at Ekl, Williams & Provenzale LLC will be seeking justice for Derrick in this case, to hold the responsible parties accountable to Derrick and his family for the harm caused, and to send a clear message to police departments that this kind of police work is not reasonable, and that the communities they serve – the very people who vest police with the extraordinary powers they have – deserve better.
Complaint.pdf
Ekl, Williams & Provenzale LLC is a boutique law firm with a team of experienced litigators who have more than 150 years of combined experience in law practice. We were founded in 1976, and our core principles have always been excellence and professionalism in the pursuit of justice for every client. We offer vigorous advocacy and commitment to individuals and businesses in a broad range of civil matters, real estate disputes, estate litigation, personal injury claims, criminal defense and numerous commercial law concerns.
Our practice areas include:
- Commercial and business disputes
- Legal issues related to real estate
- Defense from criminal charges involving a felony, misdemeanor, DUI or traffic offense
- Injuries caused by the negligence of another, including car accidents and slip-and-fall accidents
- Injuries or deaths due to mistakes by a medical professional
- Civil rights matters, including First Amendment freedoms, police abuse cases and education or employment discrimination
- Administrative law proceedings
- Probate litigation and will contests
Our firm has been a practicing law firm in the Chicago metropolitan area and collar counties since 1976, and our lawyers are skilled at handling criminal and civil cases. They dedicate their professional lives to providing superior legal representation to every client. With a history of successful cases, the experienced attorneys at Ekl, Williams & Provenzale LLC will aggressively work to protect your rights at competitive rates.
Our Criminal Defense Practice
Here are a few examples of our successes in the area of criminal defense:
- Exonerated a former DuPage County assistant state’s attorney of accusations that he conspired to fabricate a confession of a convicted felon implicated in the abduction, rape and murder of an 11-year-old Naperville girl
- Exonerated a local chief of police of accusations that he conspired to allow gambling at a tavern in his municipality
- Exonerated a local municipal official of allegations that he abused his stepdaughter
- Exonerated a child care worker of an accusation that she murdered a baby in her care
A Long History Of Success In Civil Cases
We have helped our clients get the best possible outcomes for many civil rights cases, such as:
- Obtaining a judgment in a federal court for over $300,000 for a local municipal client from a former municipal official for breaching the fiduciary duties of his municipal office; this is believed to be the highest ever judgment against a municipal official for breach of fiduciary duty
- Recovering a multimillion-dollar settlement for the family of a woman killed by a police officer who fell asleep at the wheel of his squad car
- Recovering a multimillion-dollar settlement for hundreds of employees who worked in a local county building and became sick from toxins released in the building’s air – at the time, this was the largest toxic tort settlement ever in Illinois
- Recovering millions of dollars in settlements for individuals and families injured in various accidents involving automobiles, premises and job-related activities
Learn More By Contacting The Firm
At Ekl, Williams & Provenzale LLC, our lawyers represent various clients throughout the greater Chicagoland area in a variety of practice areas. Each team member has an extensive understanding of the litigation process that they will use to craft a unique approach to fit every client’s needs. Helping clients from government agencies to large corporations, we have the necessary skills and experience to gain the outcome you desire. Call us now at 630-366-0837 or send us an email.