CHICAGO, Ill. -- Opening arguments are expected at about 11 a.m. today in a federal civil rights suit against the City of Chicago brought on behalf of Mr. Joseph Lopez by the civil rights law firm of Loevy & Loevy, alleging that Mr. Lopez was torturously confined in an interrogation room for approximately five days until police coerced a false confession from him.

In July 2000 Joseph Lopez, at the time an 18-year-old resident of Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, was beat up by an arresting officer and then held incommunicado for approximately five days. During virtually this entire period, he was restrained in a police interrogation room with his wrist handcuffed to a ring on the wall. His only human contact was with police officers who coerced the teenager into confessing to a murder he did not commit. He was fed only three times during his detention. With no bedding, constantly interrogated, and shackled to the wall on a 10” x 48” metal bench, Lopez was subjected to sleep deprivation, which is widely recognized by international treaties and human rights authorities as a prohibited torture technique.

After five sleepless days and nights during which he was only sporadically offered food, Lopez broke down and falsely confessed to a murder that all parties now agree that he did not commit. When confronted with the fact that his statement conflicted with the true facts of the killing, Lopez recanted his statement. Nonetheless, based on his coerced confession, the State’s Attorney’s Office charged Lopez with first degree murder and said that it would pursue the death penalty. Upon hearing this news at his probable cause hearing, Lopez fainted at the prospect.

About one hour after the State’s Attorney’s Office announced they were seeking the death penalty for Lopez, police arrested 27-year-old Miguel Figueroa for the crime Lopez allegedly had committed. Figueroa gave a videotaped confession to the crime and thereafter Lopez was released.

Lead attorney for Mr. Lopez is Michael Kanovitz of Loevy & Loevy, assisted by Arthur Loevy and Russell Ainsworth of the same firm.