A Kendall County judge absolved the City of Yorkville on Tuesday, Dec. 8, from liability in the 2017 death of a 17-year-old girl killed during a police chase.

23rd Judicial Circuit Judge Stephen Krentz ruled in favor of the city's request for summary judgment in the case, meaning that no "material fact" supported sending the case to trial.

The ruling stems from a January 2017 incident in which Nichelle Hill, 17, of Dolton, died after losing control and crashing her vehicle during a chase with Yorkville Police Officer Christopher Kuehlem. Hill's father, Luther Hill, sued Yorkville for damages on behalf of his daughter's estate.

According to court documents, shortly after 9 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2017 Officer Kuehlem responded to a report of a package being stolen from the front porch of a residence at the 700 block of Arrowhead Drive in Yorkville in the Heartland subdivision located south of Route 34.

Officer Kuehlem stopped Hill's car nearby but "before any verbal communication took place between them, Plaintiff (Hill) drove away from the scene at a high rate of speed," according to court documents.

Officer Kuehlem then pursued Hill's vehicle through the subdivision in a chase that lasted less than a minute but reached speeds of 55 m.p.h, according to court documents. Hill reportedly lost control of her vehicle in the 600 block of Heartland Drive. The vehicle struck a parkway tree and she was ejected from the vehicle and died from her injuries.

While Hill's father's lawsuit alleged the city violated the Illinois Wrongful Death Act, the court ruled that Hill died as a result of her own actions after fleeing law enforcement. The court also determined that Officer Kuehlem, who still works for the city's police department, did not recklessly pursue Hill or endanger anyone during the chase.

Expert testimony for Hill's estate argued that Officer Kuehlem should not have engaged in a high speed chase through a residential neighborhood, yet Judge Krentz determined there was "nothing factually in the record to suggest the Officer's speed during the pursuit [sic] proves reckless disregard."

"No reasonable person could dispute that the pursuit would never have taken place if Plaintiff hadn't fled from the scene of the traffic stop," Krentz wrote.