The family of Carmelita Johnson did not release details of the suit, only that they want justice to be served.
Johnson's daughter says the medical examiner was negligent in handling her mother's case. They claim 14 months passed without the morgue notifying them that Johnson's body had been recovered from Lake Michigan.
"It's devastating," said Leslie Jackson, Carmelita Johnson's daughter. "A lot of things could have been prevented. We don't know the cause of death, but if the M.E.'s office had done their jobs, we could've had some type of closure."
The family is calling for Dr. Nancy Jones to step down as Cook County's medical examiner. They say it was a police detective, not someone from the morgue, who finally told them of Johnson's body being recovered.
