Chicago City Wire

Robert Smith, who was convicted in 1988 of murdering his wife’s mother and grandmother, is set to receive a settlement in his federal wrongful conviction lawsuit filed in 2021, according to a recent court filing.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings of the Northern District of Illinois confirmed in a June 25 docket entry that the parties had reached an agreement, canceling the jury trial that was scheduled to begin July 11.

“The parties informed the Court that they have reached an agreement to resolve this matter, the confirmation of which was placed on the record,” Cummings wrote. “Defendants will provide a draft settlement agreement to plaintiff by 7/9/25. All other pending motions are denied as moot without prejudice pending final settlement approval.”

Robert Smith | YouTube

A status hearing is set for Sept. 23, when the settlement amount is expected to be presented.

The final amount has not been disclosed, but similar settlements have ranged into the millions. 

In one recent case, the “Marquette Park Four” received a $50 million settlement after claiming they were coerced into confessing to a murder they did not commit.

Smith served more than 33 years in prison after being convicted in the 1987 killings of 55-year-old Edith Yeager and 87-year-old Willie Bell Alexander. Their bodies were discovered following a fire at their South Side home.

He was exonerated in October 2020 under then-Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. In his lawsuit, Smith alleges that Chicago police detectives tortured him into confessing. His complaint attempts to link the alleged abuse to former Commander Jon Burge, who was fired in 1993 and convicted in 2010 of perjury related to earlier torture allegations. Burge died in 2018.

The lawsuit names several defendants, including former Chicago Police Lt. Philip Cline, who denied wrongdoing.

"If he [Smith] gets a dime, it's a miscarriage of justice," Cline told the Better Government Association (BGA) in 2022. The BGA, in partnership with the Chicago Tribune, previously investigated Smith’s case.

Attorneys for the defense argued that Burge was not connected to the investigation and criticized efforts to associate the case with his history.

“This is not a Burge case,” defense lawyers wrote in an earlier motion. “Burge was not at Area 2 at the time of the Yeager/Alexander homicide investigations. Burge was not involved in the Yeager/Alexander homicide investigations in any investigatory or supervisory capacity.”

“Burge did not sign any of the paper related to the Yeager/Alexander homicide investigations,” the motion continued. “Burge did not testify at Smith’s criminal trial or at any subsequent postconviction proceeding. Smith never alleged, in the almost 38 years since the Yeager/Alexander homicide investigations in 1987, that he suffered abuse at the hands of Burge. Burge is not even a named Defendant in this case.”