Milwaukee committee denies several claims, approves employee settlements and grants $750 to car-owner after tow-lot dispute

The Milwaukee Common Council’s Judiciary and Legislation Committee on July 7 recommended denial of several citizen claims for property damage, approved four settlements for city employees injured by uninsured motorists, and voted to settle a tow-lot dispute for $750.

The committee, chaired by Alderman Deandre Jackson, recommended denial of Frank Perrell’s claim that a Department of Public Works garbage truck struck his parked vehicle at or near 7638 W. Howard Ave. on Feb. 12, 2024. Anthony Gayfield, fleet operations manager for the Department of Public Works, told the committee, “we have no information of this accident occurring with any of our vehicles.” Perrell said a neighbor provided a written statement and described the damage in the meeting: “there was all yellow paint on the top on the high section of the car, like black and greasy stuff on the lower bottom,” and that a neighbor “was behind this garbage truck when he seen it actually against my car.” The committee’s denial will be transmitted to the full Common Council on July 15, 2025; the city attorney’s office told Perrell that, if the full council adopts the denial, “you will have satisfied the statutory prerequisites to file suit in circuit court if you wish to pursue this claim further through litigation.”

The committee also considered a large claim from Railway Exchange Building LLP stemming from a Nov. 22, 2021 water-main break that flooded the building’s basement at 229 E. Wisconsin Ave. The committee moved to deny the claim at the committee level so the matter can proceed to further litigation. The committee similarly recommended denial and referral for further litigation of several other claims, including ones brought by Great Northern Insurance (subrogee of Associated Bancorp), Kingdom Contracting LLC, and other claimants where the city attorney’s office recommended denial.

Separately, the committee approved multiple settlement resolutions the city attorney’s office recommended after outside counsel investigated incidents in which city employees were injured by uninsured motorists while working. Those approvals included:

- Orlando Johnson — $6,000 (resolution adopted) - Omar Garcia — $25,000 (resolution adopted) - DBM Phillips — $25,000 (resolution adopted) - Leo Gonzales — $21,000 (resolution adopted)

Committee members moved each settlement on the committee floor and, in each case, the chair announced the item would be forwarded to the full Common Council for final action.

A separate, contested claim by Jerome Cockerham about a vehicle that was towed, held and then recycled while in the city tow lot drew extended discussion. Cockerham said his vehicle had been towed after a Dec. 28, 2022 crash, that he viewed the vehicle on Jan. 11 and “made arrangements” to retrieve it, and that the vehicle was recycled on Jan. 19, 2023. Nicole Anderson, interim tow-lot manager, told the committee the lot’s usual hold period is about 15–17 days and in this case the vehicle was held for roughly 22 days; she said staff would hold vehicles when customers specifically requested it and that staff log notes in the system. After debate, Alderman Baumann moved to settle the Cockerham claim for $750; the motion passed on roll call 3–2. The recorded votes were: Alderman Baumann — yes; Alderman Chambers — yes; Alderman Jackson — yes; Alderman Westmoreland — no; Alderman Pratt — no. The committee’s decision will be transmitted to the full Common Council on July 15, 2025 for final administrative processing and payment.

Several older claims were held for first-time nonappearance or placed on file when claimants did not appear. The committee marked certain items as first-time nonappearances for future reference and held others to the chair’s call when claimants lived outside the area or did not attend the meeting.

Chair Jackson closed the meeting by scheduling the committee’s recommendation transmittals to the full Common Council and announcing that the committee planned a closed session on July 7, 2025, under Wisconsin law to consult with the city attorney about litigation. The committee’s recommendations on resolutions and claims will be included in the Common Council agenda on July 15, 2025.