Dec. 11--A longtime Chicago real estate attorney and his nephew were found not guilty Thursday of sexually assaulting a man who told authorities he blacked out after consuming 1-1/2 drinks at the attorney's South Side home in 2013, according to court records.
Stanley Stallworth, 52, who had been a partner at the law firm Sidley Austin for more than 20 years, and his nephew, Therrie Miller, 24, of Dolton, were found not guilty by Cook County Judge Clayton Crane following a bench trial, according to court records.
The man who had accused the two told authorities that he met Miller at a South Holland barbershop Nov. 27, 2013, and that the next day Miller texted him and asked if he wanted to hang out at his uncle's home, prosecutors said at the time of the arrests.
The man told investigators he had blacked out, then awakened to find first Miller, then Stallworth, performing a sex act on him.
Stallworth issued a statement Thursday evening, blasting police and prosecutors for bringing the case.
"I thank Judge Crane for his careful deliberation and decision," Stallworth said in the statement. "I have always been confident that a court would do the right thing ... because I have always known that I was innocent of the charges.
"But today's decision does not restore my life to what it was before these charges were brought. It does not restore what I had spent a lifetime building for myself. The last two years have been a nightmare for myself and my family, full of fear and outrage."
After Stallworth was charged, Sidley Austin issued a statement saying that he would be taking a leave of absence from the firm to fight the charges. State licensing records indicate he is still part of the firm, but a spokesman for Stallworth, Michael McGrath, said in emails that Stallworth and Sidley Austin "separated earlier this year," and Stallworth has been working on his case and "having conversations about various professional opportunities."
An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified McGrath as an attorney for Stallworth.
