A former inmate who accused federal prison workers in Illinois of defiling his Quran and torturing him with a nightstick when he complained has settled his civil rights lawsuit for $48,000, one of his attorneys said Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Michael Reagan announced the settlement involving Hakeem Shaheed in an order last week and canceled the scheduled Sept. 14 jury trial, giving both sides two months to put the deal in writing. Terms were not disclosed.
On Thursday, Shaheed attorney John Stainthorp called the settlement "a significant amount of money" that "recognizes the extent of the injuries our client suffered."
"Obviously there's been a recognition by the United States — the Bureau of Prisons— that there was abuse of Mr. Shaheed that was unconscionable," Stainthorp said.