Thomas Gniadek, the batterer in the case of Stanley Shen, entered his voluntary guilty plea in criminal court and was found guilty by Judge Gaughan.
His sentence was 10 days in the House of Corrections (time served, considered served), plus 364 days of probation together with a fine of $500 and $30 per month for probation costs.
He has paid every dime of Stanley Shen’s medical expenses, every penny of his lost wages and a good bit for breaking Stanley’s nose and leaving him with 12 stitches that were taken in his face.
That payment was made from Gniadek’s own pocket, not from insurance funds. The payment was consideration for a purchase of peace in the civil lawsuit filed on Stanley’s behalf in the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.
And there are funds enough so as to repay all of the many who volunteered donations to finance the court costs to initiate that lawsuit; Stanley has instructed me to see to it that every dime is repaid.
In addition funds have been offered by the workers compensation insurance company for Stanley’s cab lessor that roughly double the amount being paid by Gniadek.
Subject to the approval of the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission, payment will have been made so as to compensate Stanley for the damage done that he’ll have to look at every time he shaves for the rest of his life.
The moral of the story is that the rights available to cab drivers in Chicago are extensive and need to be taken advantage of rather than passed for fear of being crushed by the system or ignored.
It wasn’t me in particular who achieved anything so unique. Any decent lawyer helping someone like Stanley could do the same, maybe better.
The hope I have is that the lesson is going to have been learned by thousands of drivers. That can only happen if people like you spread the word. Would that you will do so.
