City lawsuits are getting costly. We explore why.
“I’ve never seen so many claims go against the city like that.” -City Council Rep. and Former FWPD Officer Marty Bender.
What’s happening?
It’s been a difficult year for Fort Wayne in terms of civil lawsuits against the City.
On August 5, the city’s actuarial consulting firm SGRisk told City Council about $2 million worth of lawsuits were still pending – up about 600% from previous years where pending lawsuits were about $300,000 total. (Note: In Tuesday’s email, we incorrectly said the amount of money pending in lawsuits this year is up 75% from previous years.)
As a result, SGRisk recommended the city put aside about $1 million during October's 2026 budget planning to cover potential outstanding losses – money that won’t be freed up for Council to use for other purposes until the cases are decided.
So what does all of this mean? What’s driving the city’s legal woes? And why does it matter?
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