City Reaches Settlement In Lawsuit Over Anthony Sowell Murders

CLEVELAND - A $1 million settlement has been reached by the city of Cleveland in the lawsuit brought by families of Anthony Sowell's murder victims. The families claimed that former Cleveland detective Georgia Hussein's "sloppy" police work allowed Sowell to be released in December 2008 and he subsequently abducted and murdered six women.

The city agreed to the settlement and reimbursement of legal expenses for the six families, according to a press release from the law firm of Friedman and Gilbert and the firm of Friedman, Domiano & Smith, which were representing the families

The families of Nancy Cobbs, Telacia Fortson, Amelda Hunter, Le’Shanda Long, Diane Turner and Janice Webb brought the lawsuit. The lawsuit claimed that police failed to monitor the work of detectives on the homicide cases.

“After months of worrying about missing loved ones, these families were met with the horrific news of the murders,” the news release said.

The attorneys for the families said Hussein's police work allowed Sowell to be released after he was arrested for a brutal attack in December 2008 on Gladys Wade. Wade managed to escape during the attack. The news release says that Hussein told a city prosecutor that she did not believe Wade’s account over Sowell’s, even though he had served a 15-year prison sentence for the rape of a woman.

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Image via Shuttersock