City motions to keep Lightfoot deposition private in wrongful death lawsuit for 10-year-old girl

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has been brought into a wrongful death lawsuit involving a 10-year-old girl.

Da'Karia Spicer was killed and her five-year-old brother was critically hurt in a crash in 2020. The crash involved Chicago police who were trying to make a traffic stop.

In preparation for trial, lawyers for the girl's family questioned Lightfoot. There is a fight to keep that interview from being made public.

"Her mom, dad, brother are not, can not and never will be the same," said Lance Northcutt, attorney for the estate of Da'Karia Spicer.

The parents of Spicer are suing the city for the girl's 2020 death, alleging a police pursuit led to a two-car collision at 80th and Halsted. That afternoon, the family was going to pick up the girl's laptop for remote learning.

"What happened to this poor child, the affect it had on this family, and how the city's conduct in the aftermath, including Lori Lightfoot, doubled down on that harm," Northcutt said.

Attorneys for the city argued for a motion to keep the deposition of then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot out of the public eye for now.

No trial date has been set.

Attorneys for the city and Lightfoot declined to comment.

The attorney for Spicer's family argues that Lightfoot commented publicly after the girl's death that a police pursuit was not the cause, and now his clients the want transparency.

"She put it out in the public sphere. She had absolutely no obligation or duty to do that," Northcutt said.

The judge is expected to rule on the motion on May 10.