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Wrongfully Convicted Ohio Man Receives $250,000 Award
Loaded on June 15, 2001
published in Prison Legal News
June, 2001, page 7
On January 11, 2001, a Columbus, Ohio man who spent nearly six years in prison for three rapes he did not commit was awarded almost $250,000 in damages by the Ohio Court of Claims. Walter D. Smith, 43, was released from the Madison Correctional Institution on December 6, 1996 after …
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More from this issue:
- Women Behind Bars, by Silja JA Talvi
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Strikes Sweep Bolivian Prisons as Promise of Freedom Fades, by Julia Lutsky
- Custodial Rape of Female Prisoners Widespread in U.S., by Roger Smith
- Wrongfully Convicted Ohio Man Receives $250,000 Award
- Federal Court Partially Terminates New York Jail Consent Decree Relief
- Texas Prisoners Have Thirty Days to Sue Following Resolution of Grievance
- ADA Settlement at Washington Special Commitment Center, by Hank Balson
- Prisoners of the Census, by Tracy Huling
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics, by John Midgley
- Leave to Amend Complaint Wrongly Denied
- Failure to Notify Prisoner of Hearing Violates Procedural Rights
- Bid to Regain Family Visits Fails in California, by Willie Wisely
- Supreme Court Restricts ADA, by Roger Smith
- Louisiana Prison Activist Freed
- Arbitrary Denial of Michigan Appeal Bond Enjoined
- Costs Allowed Only by Court Order
- Second Circuit Holds Staged Perp Walks Unconstitutional, Grants Qualified Immunity
- $9.6 Million Awarded for Child Death in Illinois Jail
- No Forfeiture Notice Violates Due Process
- Montana Court Awards PLRA-Capped Attorney Fees Under Catalyst Theory
- Prisoner Defendants Entitled to Notice of Summary Judgment Requirements
- Texas Prisoners Have Liberty Interest in Mandatory Supervision
- Guards Use Shotguns to Control Riot
- Unlawful Imprisonment Nets Ohio Man $25,000
- Texas Prisoners Have Right to Appear at Civil Court Hearings
- Washington Media Royalties Sentencing Condition Reversed
- Prison Doctor Wins $654,471 in Retaliation Suit, by John E Dannenberg
- Minnesota Prison Cited For Asbestos Infractions
- Texas Prisoners May Challenge Discretionary Mandatory Release Procedures
- $3 Million Award Not Excessive in Prisoner Beating Death
- Suspicionless Maine Jail Strip Searches Set for Trial; Settles for $455,000
- PLRA-Based Garnishment Used to Collect Court Costs for Defendant
- Indiana Jail Settles Strip Search Case for $300,000
- News in Brief
- Harsh Hitching Post Treatment States Claim
- Ten Percent Prison Commissary Surcharge in New Jersey Upheld
- Statutory Authority Not Required to Levy Housing Costs
- Continuing California's Prison Interview Ban, by Willie Wisely
More from these topics:
- Detroit Pays $5.8 Million to Former State Prisoner Exonerated of Murder After 15 Years, Aug. 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Qualified Immunity, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Eyewitness Identification, Evidence - Failure to Disclose.
- $13 Million Awarded to Exonerated Illinois Prisoner Tortured to Confess by Corrupt Cops, Aug. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Certificate of Innocence, False Imprisonment, Confessions - Coerced.
- Louisiana Supreme Court Announces Framework Governing Factual Innocence Claims in First Application of La. C.Cr.P. Art. 926.2, Holding Second-Step Review Encompasses All Relevant Evidence, Aug. 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Forensic Sciences, Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Expert and Opinion Testimony, Scientific Testimony or Evidence.
- FBI Approves Rapid DNA Workflow for CODIS, Aug. 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, Databases, Forensic Sciences, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of, Scientific Testimony or Evidence.
- Conviction Tossed for Former Alabama Prisoner Paroled After 42 Years, July 1, 2026. Sex Offender Registration, Wrongful Conviction, Forensic Sciences, Eyewitness Identification, Brady Rule violations.
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- Your DNA Was at the Scene, But You Weren’t: How Touch DNA Is Convicting the Innocent, June 1, 2026. DNA Testing/Samples, junk science, Wrongful Conviction, DNA Evidence, Evidence - Admissibility, Claim of Innocence.
- Jury Awards Over $24.4 Million to Kentucky Prisoner Exonerated After 22 Years, Bringing Total Payout for Him and Co-Defendant to Almost $45 Million, June 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Monell Liability, Fabrication of Evidence, Failure to Disclose.
- Sixth Circuit Upholds $10 Million Wrongful Conviction Verdict for Exonerated Michigan Prisoner, June 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified, Damages - Compensatory, Failure to Disclose.
- Murder Convictions Tossed for Three Pennsylvania Prisoners After 28 Years, June 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, witness misidentification, Forensic Sciences, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of, Expert and Opinion Testimony.

