United Group Insurance

Council Bluffs faces special tax if it loses case

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December 4th, 2012 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The city of Council Bluffs may be forced to levy a special tax to pay two black men if a jury blames the city and two retired officers for their wrongful conviction. Terry Harrington and Curtis McGhee, of Omaha, Neb., claim the city and two police investigators targeted them for the shooting of a former police captain because of their race. The men were freed in 2003 after 25 years in prison when the Iowa Supreme Court found prosecutors committed misconduct. The men are suing the city and the policemen for $100 million.

Three city insurers have won court cases that relieve them from paying any judgment although one case is on appeal. Without insurance coverage, Council Bluffs may have to tax property owners to raise enough money to pay.