The Government Operations and Oversight Committee of Waukegan on Sept. 2 voted to approve three settlement resolutions, including a settlement of up to $10,100,000 in the case listed as Herman Williams v. City of Waukegan (claim number 230906W005).

Committee members also approved two police department workers' compensation settlements: claim number 240129W013/24WC03041 for an amount not to exceed $204,974, and claim number 240731W008/24WC23172 for an amount not to exceed $59,591.29. All three motions were approved by voice or roll call with committee members recorded as voting “aye.”

The settlements drew brief discussion on transparency and privacy. During the public-comment portion of the meeting, a resident identified in the record as Mr. Edwards criticized the committee for not explaining settlements to the public, saying, “We see settlements. Ain't nobody telling us nothing.” A staff member cautioned against discussing specifics while litigation remains pending, saying, “I don't wanna go into a lot of specifics on when it's still pending litigation, sir, but it is a lawsuit.”

A committee member said it may not have been clear that the Herman Williams case involves a man who was wrongfully convicted and spent 29 years in prison; that characterization was reported in the meeting record but not expanded on by staff during the vote. The staff member also said the Williams matter involves multiple parties, naming Lake County and the village of Gurnee as also involved in the litigation.

The workers' compensation settlements prompted a separate privacy question from a committee member who objected to publicly naming a current employee in connection with a workers' compensation settlement. The member said they were “hesitant to…release” an employee's name if the person is still employed. Another committee member responded that the information is public, and the committee deferred to the lawyer's judgment on disclosure in those matters.

Votes at a glance

- Herman Williams v. City of Waukegan (claim no. 230906W005): Approved; amount not to exceed $10,100,000. Recorded roll call: Vice chair Martinez — Aye; Ottoman Donaworth — Aye; Ottoman Florian — Aye; Ottoman Turner — Aye.

- Police department workers' compensation (claim no. 240129W013 / 24WC03041): Approved; amount not to exceed $204,974. Recorded roll call: Vice chair Martinez — Aye; Ottoman Donaworth — Aye; Ottoman Florian — Aye; Ottoman Turner — Aye.

- Police department workers' compensation (claim no. 240731W008 / 24WC23172): Approved; amount not to exceed $59,591.29. Recorded roll call: Vice chair Martinez — Aye; Ottoman Donaworth — Aye; Ottoman Florian — Aye; Ottoman Turner — Aye.

The meeting record shows no further directions for staff or follow-up reports attached to the motions. The committee moved from public comment into approval of minutes and then addressed the three settlement resolutions in sequence; the meeting concluded after a brief adjournment motion.

The approvals place the financial responsibility for the Williams settlement and the workers' compensation payments on the city as recorded in the certified resolutions; the record includes claim numbers and the maximum amounts approved but contains limited public detail about the underlying facts beyond the statements summarized above. The committee did not request additional public hearings on the settlements during the session and did not provide timelines for payment or implementation in the published record.

The committee adjourned after approving the motions.