Innocent Man Who Spent 26 Years In Prison Settles For $2.5 Million
By ED WHITE
Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) - The city of Detroit has agreed to pay $2.5 million to a man who spent 26 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit.
Walter Swift was released in 2008 after prosecutors backed away from his 1982 conviction. He was found guilty of raping a Detroit woman based on police misconduct and a bad trial lawyer.
Evidence that would have helped him never got to the jury.
Attorney Julie Hurwitz says the settlement allows Swift "to heal." But she says the deal is a "travesty" because she believes the city should be paying much more.
Hurwitz told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Swift accepted it because a trial could have brought much uncertainty. The lawsuit was filed in 2010.
One-third of the settlement will go to lawyers.
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