(MCT) — CHICAGO — Lawyers for a woman bartender who was viciously beaten by an off-duty Chicago police officer wasted little time Monday airing an infamous videotape of the 2007 attack for federal jurors who will have to decide whether to assess potentially millions of dollars in damages.

In opening statements, an attorney for the beating victim, Karolina Obrycka, repeatedly referred to a "code of silence" that he said emboldened disgraced former Officer Anthony Abbate that night and in the days after when he and other officers allegedly engaged in a bid to cover up his misconduct.