Cleared Duke Lacrosse Player Seek $30 Million Settlement & Reforms in Legal Process

On the day that ex-DA Mike Nifong heads to jail to wear an orange jump suit, a monetary settlement is discussed in the Duke Lacrosse case. They should have made him wear the orange jumper and pick up trash a long the road side. The symbolism would have been poetic. What’s the price of being falsely indicted for rape? It appears to be $30 million. The three Duke Lacrosse players, David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann, who have all been cleared on rape charges brought against them by the shameless actions of disgraced ex-DA Mike Nifong are now looking for their monetary damages. The cost of the settlement that the three are looking to make with the city of Durham, NC appears to be $30 million along with reforms in the legal process.

The three Duke lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape are seeking a $30 million settlement and reforms in the legal process, a person close to the case said Friday, the same day the case prosecutor was due to start his 24-hour jail sentence. The players attorneys, meanwhile, have proposed a settlement with the city of Durham that includes reforming the legal system. If the terms aren’t met, the attorneys will file a civil rights lawsuit early next month, the person close to the case said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the proposed settlement wasn’t complete.

During a discussion Wednesday with Durham officials, players’ attorneys Brendan Sullivan and Barry Scheck stressed that the money they are seeking in the settlement — about $10 million each for David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann over five years — must be accompanied by legal reforms, the person said. (Yahoo News)

Lawyers Discuss Potential Duke Lacrosse Civil Rights Lawsuit

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Judicial Irony: Ex-Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong Sentenced to Jail

Who could have ever imagined this ever happening when the Duke Lacrosse Rape case was first announced? A case where Mike Nifong trumpeted that members of the Duke Lacrosse team were guilty of rape has turned into Former DA Mike Nifong was sentenced to spend time in the very jail that he was looking to send innocent people to. Nifong’s willfull and intentional actions are now coming home to roost.

The irony is not lost in the fact that Ex-Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifongwillfully winds up in the very jail that he was so determined to put others in, no matter what the cost, the facts or the law. From those actions came ethics and disbarment. Add a day in jail to that list as well. Nifong’s broken career continues as the punishments continue to be handed down for his despicable actions during the Duke Lacrosse rape case. 

Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III could have sentenced Nifong, who had already been stripped of his law license and had resigned from office, to as many as 30 days in jail and given him a fine as high as $500. Instead, he opted for a largely symbolic punishment – the public humiliation of sending a prosecutor to jail – that he said would help protect the integrity of the justice system.

Ex-DA Mike Nifong, “no credible evidence” that Three Duke Lacrosse Players Committed a Crime

Ex-Durham, NC District Attorney is a day late and a dollar short. Today the disbarred Nifong stated that there was “no credible evidence” that the Duke LAX players committed a crime. Um, Nifong … then why did you prosecute the case? Maybe you should have made this revelation when you first investigated the alleged rape.

Disgraced former prosecutor Mike Nifong acknowledged Thursday there is “no credible evidence” that three Duke lacrosse players committed any of the crimes he accused them of more than a year ago, offering for the first time a complete and unqualified apology.

Its one thing to apologize. However, it still does not explain why Mike Nifong pursued a prosecution when he knew there was no evidence. That is a criminal act on his part to knowing prosecute with no cause. It will also prove to be a rather costly error on Nifong’s part as civil lawsuits will be filed in the future.

On Thursday, Nifong apologized.

“I agree with the attorney general’s statement that there is no credible evidence that Mr. Seligmann, Mr. Finnerty or Mr. Evans committed any of the crimes for which they were indicted — or any other crimes against (the accuser) — during the party,” Nifong said. He declined to comment further after the hearing, as did his attorneys. (Yahoo News)

Duke University and Three LAX Players, David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann, Announce Settlement

Who would have ever thought as things stood a year ago that DA Nifong would be disbarred and Duke University would be reaching a settlement with former lacrosse players David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann? What an amazing, bizarre and stunning turn of events from the initial accusations.

This has been an extraordinary year for Duke students David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann, who were accused of serious crimes they did not commit. In April, after a thorough review, the North Carolina Attorney General declared that they were innocent of all charges and that the charges never should have been brought. We welcomed their exoneration and deeply regret the difficult year they and their families have had to endure.  They conducted themselves with great dignity during their long ordeal.

STATEMENT OF DAVID EVANS, COLLIN FINNERTY AND READE SELIGMANN:

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North Carolina State Bar charged Mike Nifong Broke Rules (Update: Disbarred)

The NC Bar has charged DA Mike Nifong with breaking several rules of professional misconduct in dealing with the Duke Lacrosse rape case including “dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation.” Mike Nifong has stated that he will resign his position as DA.

(ABC News)

The North Carolina State Bar charged Nifong with breaking several rules of professional conduct, including lying to both the court and bar investigators and withholding critical DNA test results from the players’ defense attorneys.

The committee, after deliberating for a little more than an hour, unanimously agreed with the bar on almost every charge — including the most serious allegations — that Nifong’s actions involved “dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation.” (Yahoo News) N.C. State Bar: Nifong Guilty of Ethics Violations

Nifong had been charged with seven counts of violating the rules of professional conduct that govern attorney conduct in North Carolina. During closing arguments attorney Doug Brocker of the North Carolina State Bar said Nifong engaged in a “systematic abuse of prosecutorial power and discretion in the Duke Lacrosse case.” “Mr. Nifong did not act as a minister of justice, but as a minister of injustice,” Brocker added. (ABC News)

Deliberations Begin in Duke Prosecutor’s Ethics Case

Mike Nifong gives up law licence

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