Adam TatumThe legal morass sparked by the beating of a federal inmate at the hands of two Chattanooga police officers has stretched over nearly a year, but city officials hope to end it by Jan. 1.
A settlement has been reached with Adam Tatum, who suffered two broken legs in the beating and had sued the city for $50 million. On Monday, Tatum agreed to drop his federal lawsuit in exchange for $125,000.
Still pending are two lawsuits, one filed by Sean Emmer and Adam Cooley, the officers fired over the beating, and a city appeal of a judge’s decision ordering the Chattanooga Police Department to reinstate them.
City Council Chairman Yusuf Hakeem said Tuesday that he sees an effort on the city’s part to resolve the entire case by the first of the year.
Attorneys on both sides of the case said they couldn’t comment on whether a settlement was in sight for the other cases.