Kyles, who is also an attorney, says that the housing code violations did not relate to the tragedy itself and that he and Hollins were made scapegoats. The two men maintained that the city’s housing order was unclear. The appellate court agreed, and with their own convictions thrown out, Hollis and Kyles are set to pursue a civil suit against the city of Chicago for coercion, conspiracy and malicious prosecution.
Kyles’ and Hollis’ suit — and the suits filed by the victims’ families — were stagnant during the appeal process, a process that Kyles called an “expensive diversion” from justice.
“My heart has always and continues to go out to the families,” Kyles said. “These families have been denied justice, because this has been a very elaborate and expensive diversion.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the city will study the appellate court’s ruling to drop the charges, “I talked to the corporation counsel this morning, and they’re looking into the judge’s ruling at this point,” he said.
