Finance
Finance Committee authorizes $27M settlement stemming from deadly police chase
A City Council committee on Friday agreed to pay $27 million to the family of a mother of six killed in a high-speed police chase — nearly triple the amount awarded by a jury — amid warnings that new evidence in the case exposed taxpayers to a settlement “well over $100 million.”
The settlement authorized by the Finance Committee is poised for full Council approval next week, and would go to the family of Stacy Vaughn-Harrell.
The 47-year-old woman and her then 21-year-old daughter, Kimberlyn Myers, were driving home in June 2017 — after Myers sang at a performance in Indiana — when they were hit by a car that was fleeing police through a residential area in Englewood at a speed of roughly 50 mph.
Vaughn-Harrell was killed, and Myers suffered serious injuries, including a concussion, a lacerated liver, and a broken collarbone requiring a plate and five screws. Vaughn-Harrell left behind six children, three of whom were teenagers.
Before the chase, police had pulled over a white Kia they believed was present during a shooting, though they didn’t know if the shots came from the car, the family’s attorney said at the time. A passenger got out of the car when it was pulled over, then the Kia sped off.
Police chased the Kia in an unmarked car, with a marked car following, according to the family’s trial attorney, who contended this violated department policy requiring a marked car to lead a chase using both lights and sirens.
The Kia had run through four stop signs before crashing into Vaughn-Harrell’s car at an intersection.
Three years ago, a jury awarded $10 million to the victim’s family.
On Friday, Deputy Corporation Counsel Margaret Mendenhall-Casey cited six reasons to explain why an appellate court’s decision to order a new trial based on an improper closing argument and other legal violations turned into a proposed $27 million settlement, all but $7 million shouldered by Chicago taxpayers.
Chief among them is a post-crash video that the “first jury did not see,” and the new trial judge has “already hinted he is inclined” to allow in a second trial, she said.
Lawyers for Vaughn-Harrell’s family likely would use that video “ to argue that our officers were callous,” Mendenhall-Casey said. “Video of Kimberlyn crawling over her mother’s dead body and falling to the ground while officers stood by and watched, the plaintiff will argue.”
Other factors that strengthen the family’s case include: likely testimony from all six of the victim’s children, only two of whom testified at the first trial; more detail about Myers’ traumatic brain injury as well as testimony from her and her doctors; and the fact that the six surviving children lost not only their mother but their home-schooling teacher.
A second jury would also be permitted to hear more criticism of the police officers involved in the pursuit that was not allowed during the first trial, Mendenhall-Casey said. And a grieving family that did not seek compensation for pain and suffering would now likely seek those funds.
“As you can see, a second trial would have a substantially different and larger case presented to it on damages,” Mendenhall-Casey told the Finance Committee. “If this matter proceeds to a second trial, the plaintiff will ask the jury to award well over $100 million dollars.”
The City Council recently rejected an $8.25 million settlement in another deadly police pursuit case. But the city’s managing deputy of litigation, John Hendricks, advised alderpersons not to roll the dice on this case.
“ We have a different case with new evidence. We have a different case with new witnesses. We have a different case with new and broader claims for damages. And we have a likelihood of more evidence coming in that was not allowed at the first trial based on judicial findings,” Hendricks said.
Citing a 2024 police pursuit case with a similar set of facts that culminated in a $79 million settlement, Hendricks said, “We have a new set of facts similar to set of facts that resulted in what people sometimes refer to as a nuclear verdict.”
During the public comment period that preceded Friday’s hearing, the Finance Committee heard tearful testimony from Myers.
“I am the individual who crawled out of that car. Who was not assisted by no officer. I did not see one hand reach out for me,” Myers said. “Every day there is pain that we all go through. Today is just as hard as it was on June 24, [2017].”
Digital payments are becoming an increasingly common part of everyday life in Uzbekistan, helping bring more consumers into the formal financial system and increasing demand for services beyond basic transactions.
According to a financial inclusion survey conducted by the Central Bank of Uzbekistan with support from the Asian Development Bank, 71.17% of respondents reported making or receiving at least one digital payment in 2025, compared with 39% in 2021.
The increase follows several years of policies aimed at expanding financial inclusion, encouraging electronic payments and introducing digital tools such as remote identification systems for banking customers.
Interviews conducted by Euronews on the sidelines of the Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF) suggest that the rapid adoption of digital payments is now beginning to influence wider parts of the financial sector, from lending and insurance to investment products and banking services for businesses.
Digital payments enter the mainstream
Industry executives point to a combination of demographic, technological and regulatory factors behind the growth of digital financial services.
Nikolay Seleznyov, co-founder of Uzum, a company active in e-commerce, digital payments and financial services, said the expansion is bringing more people into the banking system.
“More and more people are becoming bank customers. And this trend is irreversible.”
Oliver Hughes, chairman of TBC Uzbekistan, a digital bank operating through the TBC UZ and Payme applications, pointed to the country’s young population and widespread use of mobile technology as factors supporting the shift towards digital services.
The trend is also affecting established lenders. Dmitry Sapronov, deputy chairman of Ipoteka Bank, which became part of Hungary’s OTP Group in 2023, said customer demand for digital services has increased significantly in recent years, requiring banks to rethink how they deliver products and interact with clients.
Regulation and infrastructure
Executives said the growth of digital finance has been supported by both regulatory changes and investment in digital infrastructure.
The Central Bank and other institutions have introduced measures aimed at expanding financial inclusion and encouraging electronic payments, while digital identification systems have made it easier for consumers to access banking products remotely.
“The digital ID product was one of the biggest enablers here for all the players in the financial services industry,” Seleznyov said.
Anne Arundel County is preparing to launch a new finance and e-procurement system to modernize county operations and improve how businesses interact with local government.
The new platform, called Harbor, is scheduled to go live in July and will replace the County’s legacy procurement system with a centralized cloud-based platform built on Oracle Fusion Cloud.
County officials say the new system is designed to streamline procurement and financial processes while making it easier for both existing and prospective vendors to do business with the County.
From the press release:
“Harbor is a much-needed upgrade that will streamline services for our county agencies and those who do business with the county,” said Anne Arundel County Chief Administrative Officer Christine Anderson.
The platform will serve as a single portal for supplier registration, bid opportunities, invoicing, payment tracking, and contract management, consolidating what had previously been spread across multiple systems. County leaders say the transition is part of a broader effort to modernize operations, improve efficiency, and lower barriers for businesses seeking to compete for county contracts.
For counties, procurement modernization remains an important operational priority as local governments look to improve transparency, strengthen vendor engagement, and simplify access for businesses of all sizes. Anne Arundel County has encouraged interested suppliers to review training materials and registration information ahead of the July launch.
Finance
Quadient Recognized as a Leader in the 2026 SPARK Matrix for Accounts Receivable Applications
Quadient demonstrates continued innovation in AI-driven invoice-to-cash automation and unified finance operations
Paris
Quadient (Euronext Paris: QDT), a global automation platform powering secure and sustainable business connections, announced today it has been recognized for the fifth consecutive year as a Leader in the 2026 SPARK Matrix™ for Accounts Receivable Applications by technology analyst and advisory firm QKS Group. Quadient strengthened its position in the report year-over-year, with a notable improvement in Technology Excellence, reflecting continued innovation in its AI-driven invoice-to-cash solution.
According to QKS Group, Quadient’s leadership position highlights its evolution into a comprehensive, AI-powered platform that delivers strong predictive accuracy and straight-through processing. The analyst firm also emphasized the capability of Quadient’s solutions to unify accounts receivable (AR) and accounts payable (AP), offering finance leaders greater visibility and insights into their business finances to make faster, better decisions on working capital management.
Earlier this month, Quadient announced the release of its new cash dashboard capability for AR and AP that allows finance teams to bring together traditionally siloed data in a single view. An AI assistant summarizes key metrics and provides analysis that helps finance leaders accelerate cash on hand, improve forecasting, reduce risk and uncover opportunities to optimize working capital.
“Quadient has established a strong position in the 2026 Accounts Receivable Automation market through its focus on intelligent automation, cash flow optimization and integrated financial operations,” said Sanjeevi C R, associate vice president, Enterprise Research at QKS Group. “The platform’s evolution from predictive analytics to AI-driven autonomous collections execution represents a meaningful step forward in reducing manual effort across the invoice-to-cash cycle. What differentiates Quadient is its ability to combine collections management, cash application, and payment processing with a unified accounts receivable and accounts payable ecosystem, providing finance leaders with a more holistic view of working capital performance. By enabling greater automation, enhanced cash flow visibility, and more efficient receivables operations, Quadient continues to deliver measurable value for organizations seeking to modernize their financial processes and improve liquidity management.”
QKS Group highlighted the following key strengths for Quadient AR:
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