April 24--A suburban firefighter who faced sexual abuse charges in 2013, only to have those charges dropped, has filed a lawsuit against the City of Chicago and multiple city police officers.
The suit, filed this week in federal court on behalf of Merrionette Park firefighter/paramedic Michael Haas, states that he was charged with allegedly serving as a lookout during a sexual assault though there was no evidence or probable cause to back up his arrest or the charges leveled against him.
The charges against Haas were dismissed in May 2014, according to the lawsuit.
Cook County state's attorney's office spokeswoman Sally Daly confirmed that charges against Haas had been dropped, but that charges against his onetime co-defendant, Marvin Buhle, were pending.
"Wholly lacking in probable cause, Plaintiff was placed under arrest for attempted criminal sexual abuse," the lawsuit states.
Officials with the city's law department declined comment Thursday, saying they had not yet seen the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges Haas was a victim of false arrest and had his right to due process violated, among other counts.
Haas' photo and the charges against him "garnered media attention locally and nationally," according to the lawsuit.
The actions undertaken by the eight named defendant officers and other "unknown officers" "were so arbitrary as to shock the conscience," the lawsuit states.
Timothy Fiscella, one of the attorneys representing Haas, called the situation "unfortunate."
"He's a great young man, and these criminal charges kind of turned his life upside down," Fiscella said.
The charges against Haas, and his subsequent lawsuit, stem from a house party Buhle and Haas attended in Chicago's Mount Greenwood neighborhood in June 2013.
The victim and her boyfriend were visiting from out of town and didn't know Haas or Buhle, Assistant State's Attorney Bridget O'Brien said at their initial bond court hearing in 2013.
According to O'Brien's account, the woman had too much to drink and her boyfriend took her upstairs to lie down. The boyfriend stayed with her for a while and then left the bedroom door open and went back to the party.
Haas and Buhle allegedly told the other guests they were leaving and went upstairs, she said.
Later, the victim's boyfriend went to check on his girlfriend and found Haas standing in front of the now-closed bedroom door, O'Brien said.
The boyfriend opened the door and allegedly saw Buhle in a "pushup stance" on top of the victim, she said.
Buhle's pants were down and the victim was undressed from the waist down, according to court records.
The boyfriend screamed and Buhle tried to flee, according to court records, but he was caught and detained until police arrived and arrested him.
Buhle told police the victim "had been making eyes at me" and had invited him upstairs, O'Brien said. He also told police she had removed her own pants, O'Brien said.
Haas was accused of having been a lookout "despite no substantive evidence that he was aware of, participated in, or otherwise had any knowledge of the alleged assault," the lawsuit states.
Haas' attorney denied the charges against his client after that initial 2013 court appearance.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendant officers were aware that Haas was not involved in the incident.
Merrionette Park Fire officials confirmed this week that Haas is employed with the fire department.
geoffz@tribpub.com
