( 📸: Peter Weinberger/AP )
Cousins! A man wrongfully convicted and sentenced to 44 years behind bars following accusations of rape has been awarded a $25 million settlement!
According to NPR the combined settlement was reached between Concord, central North Carolina city and the state of North Carolina within an issued lawsuit that accused authorities of misconduct.
A lawsuit was filed three years ago in 2021 by Ronnie Wallace Long and his attorneys after a federal court fully exonerated him in 2020 for a crime he didn’t commit. Obtained court documents detail that Ronnie’s trial had violated his constitutional rights.
In 1976 at 21 years old Ronnie was convicted by a handpicked all white jury in North Carolina for burglary and raping a 54-year-old white woman. Though Ronnie denied committing the crimes he received two life sentences.
Throughout his time in prison, Ronnie’s case attracted major attention as evidence from enforcement had been suppressed. Court documents detail that semen samples and fingerprints from the crime scenes didn’t match Ronnie’s.
For decades multiple people have advocated on Ronnie’s behalf pushing forth awareness that there were obvious loopholes of misconduct within his trial which led to a wrongful conviction.
As he made his official exit from prison on August 27th, 2020 Ronnie was told that he would receive a $750,000 settlement for his wrongful conviction. He was set to be paid out $50,000 per year, but Ronnie ultimately refused the settlement and instead sued.
Along with a reached settlement Ronnie received public written apology from the city of Concord for its role in his imprisonment.
“We are deeply remorseful for the past wrongs that caused tremendous harm to Mr. Long, his family, friends, and our community,”reads a statement from the city. “While there are no measures to fully restore to Mr. Long and his family all that was taken from them, through this agreement we are doing everything in our power to right the past wrongs and take responsibility.”
The city of Concord has agreed to pay $22 million of the settlement, while Ronnie is also set to receive $3 million from the State Bureau of Investigation. “As a result of the SBI’s role in hiding evidence from Mr. Long and his legal team that proved his innocence,” reads a statement from his attorneys in the lawsuit.
The reached settlement has been identified as the second largest payout ever by the state of North Carolina in a wrongful conviction case, reports CNN.
“This result speaks to the magnitude of injustice that occurred in Mr. Long’s case,” said on of Ronnie’s attorneys Chris Olson.
He adds that the “apology goes a long way in helping Mr. Long heal.”
+ There are no comments
Add yours