Sex assault lawsuit against former CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson dismissed by judge
A federal judge on Wednesday threw out a sexual assault lawsuit against former Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
The lawsuit was brought against Johnson and the city in late 2020 by Cynthia Donald, an officer previously assigned to Johnson’s security detail. Donald accused the former superintendent of repeatedly raping her for several years and then concealing evidence of that abuse.
The allegations in the suit stemmed from an embarrassing drunken driving incident in late 2019 that effectively ended Johnson’s three-decade career with the CPD just weeks before he was set to retire.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo granted motions for summary judgment filed by both Johnson and the city.
“The basic problem with Donald’s claim is that virtually all the evidence of her conduct suggests that she welcomed and was an active participant in her relationship with Johnson,” Bucklo wrote. “The explanation that her friendly, welcoming behavior was an attempt to appease Johnson and make her life more bearable is unavailing because the relevant inquiry considers the objective nature of her conduct as it would appear to Johnson, not solely her subjective intent.”
In an emailed statement, Johnson’s attorney Michael Leonard said, “The Court clearly got it right and applied a common sense analysis.”
“Mr. Johnson has always owned up to and acknowledged that he engaged in a consensual relationship with Ms. Donald,” the statement continued. “The Court rightfully found that Ms. Donald’s claims of sexual harassment were meritless under the circumstances presented — where Ms. Donald admitted in the litigation to engaging in acts, statements, and conduct that undeniably caused Mr. Johnson to reasonably believe that the parties were in fact engaged in a consensual relationship.”
In an emailed statement, Donald’s attorney Robert McLaughlin said, “we are disappointed” with the ruling and that an appeal would follow.
In October 2019, Johnson was found asleep behind the wheel of a running city-owned vehicle a few blocks from his home in Bridgeport. Body-worn camera footage previously released by the city showed that responding officers allowed Johnson to drive away without being subjected to field sobriety tests.
Johnson initially told reporters the episode was due to a medication mix-up. An investigation by the city’s Office of Inspector General soon revealed that before Johnson was discovered, he and Donald were among a group drinking at a downtown bar notorious for strong cocktail pours.
After dismissing his driver for the night, Johnson drove Donald back to CPD headquarters in Bronzeville to retrieve her vehicle before he continued west to Bridgeport.
Donald’s lawsuit also alleged that Lightfoot “worked to deflect blame” from the city over the incident and ordered Johnson to “dump” Donald by removing her from his detail and sending her to a police district. Johnson declined, sending her to the records department instead so she could remain nearby in police headquarters. Johnson referred to Lightfoot as “That b—-” and said she was trying to steal his “music” — meaning Donald, she alleged.
Several CPD officers, including the former commander of the Deering District (9th), later faced suspensions over the handling of the incident, and former Mayor Lori Lightfoot quickly fired Johnson just weeks after taking part in an emotional news conference announcing his planned retirement.
