Rockford council unanimously approves $9.5 million settlement in John Horton case

The Rockford City Council on Monday approved a resolution to settle John Horton v. City of Rockford, Case No. 18C6829, for $9,500,000 after first voting to suspend Rule No. 9 to allow immediate consideration.

Alderman Bailey read the resolution to the council and the council then voted to suspend Rule No. 9; the suspension motion was seconded and carried with no discussion. The City clerk then called the roll on the settlement resolution; each council member present voted in favor and the motion passed with 11 ayes.

The resolution as read identified the plaintiff as John Horton and the case number as 18C6829. The amount announced on the record was stated as “9 million 5 hundred thousand dollars,” which equals $9,500,000. The transcript records no substantive discussion or debate about the settlement prior to the roll-call vote.

The suspension of Rule No. 9 and the settlement vote were recorded as formal actions of the council. The transcript does not record the names of the motion’s mover or seconder for the rule suspension, nor does it include additional detail about payment timing, funding source, or any related fiscal authorization beyond the settlement amount read into the record.

Following the unanimous vote, the council moved on to other business and adjourned later in the meeting.