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$21 Million Jury Award for Illinois Wrongful Conviction
Loaded on Nov. 15, 2009
by David Reutter
published in Prison Legal News
November, 2009, page 40
by David M. Reutter
Filed under:
Police Misconduct,
Discrimination,
Gang Policies,
Wrongful Conviction.
Location:
Illinois.
In June 2009, an Illinois federal jury awarded $21 million to a former prisoner who served 11-1/2 years for a murder he didn’t commit. The basis of the claim was that Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara, a gang crimes specialist, had framed Juan Johnson for a …
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More from this issue:
- Pennsylvania County Prisons Mired in Conditions Litigation, by David Reutter
- $395,000 Settlement in Los Angeles Jail Prisoner’s Lung Infection Death
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Prison Radio Beams Love, Hope and News through the Bars, by Matthew Clarke
- $1.55 Million Awarded in Female Colorado DOC Prisoner’s Rape by Guard, by Mark Wilson
- Indiana DOC Directive Limiting Educational Credit to Only One Associate’s Degree Violates Ex Post Facto Clause, by Brandon Sample
- Texas Jail Strip Search Policy Unconstitutional, by Brandon Sample
- American Methods: Torture and the Logic of Domination, by Kristian Williams, South End Press, 279 pages, by David Preston
- Indiana Supreme Court Holds Sex Offender Registration Act Unconstitutional When Applied Retroactively
- Privatized Prison Medical Care in Mississippi Still Problematic, by David Reutter
- Texas Grand Jury Rules Jail Guards Not Negligent in Prisoner’s Death, by Gary Hunter
- Justice Reinvestment Initiative Eliminates Texas Prison Overcrowding, by Matthew Clarke
- CRIPA Investigation Finds “Woefully Inadequate” Conditions in Erie County, NY Jails; Lawsuits Filed, by Jimmy Franks
- $250,000 Awarded to Former New York Prisoner Wrongly Convicted by Falsified Evidence, by David Reutter
- Former PA Lawmaker Who Took Sex Offenders into His Home Files Suit Against Zoning Board
- $170,000 in Settlements to Sacramento Jail Prisoner Sexually Abused by Guards
- $1 Million Settlement in Washington DOC Staff Sexual Abuse Suit of Women Prisoners
- U.S. Senator John Ensign, Author of Ensign Amendment, Falls From Grace, by Brandon Sample
- Former North Dakota State Psychologist Who Treated Sex Offenders Busted for Child Porn
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- Revised List of ICE Detainee Deaths Still Incomplete, Updated Again, by Mark Wilson
- Colorado Officials Increasingly Rely on Lockdowns to Manage Prison Violence, by Michael Brodheim
- California’s Lethal Injection Protocol Invalidated for Failure to Comply with APA, by Michael Brodheim
- Medical Care Mismanaged at Orange County, California Jail, by Michael Brodheim
- Divided Ninth Circuit Holds Prison Officials Entitled to Qualified Immunity for Prolonged Deprivation of Outdoor Exercise
- 1 in Every 31 Adults Under Some Form of Correctional Restraint, by David Reutter
- California Death Row Court Monitoring Discontinued, by Michael Brodheim
- PLN Sues Virginia DOC Over Censorship, Due Process Violations
- Human Rights Study Shows That Decades Later Blacks Still Incarcerated More, by Gary Hunter
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- Florida to Allow Exportation of Prisoners to Other States, by David Reutter
- Georgia Attorneys Abandoning Indigent Defendants, by David Reutter
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- Orange County Sheriff Sentenced to 5½ Years in Prison, by Gary Hunter
- Outgoing Mail Censorship Assessed Under Procunier, not Turner; Oregon Court Applies Wrong Standard
- Ohio Prison Guards Party, Federal Stimulus Funds Save Their Jobs, by David Reutter
- $21 Million Jury Award for Illinois Wrongful Conviction, by David Reutter
- Oklahoma Legislators Not Considering Closing State Prisons, Unless They Are, by Matthew T. Clarke
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- News in Brief:
More from David Reutter:
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds Motion Judge Abused Discretion by Denying Evidentiary Hearing on IAC Claim Where Plea Counsel’s Affidavit Was Not Inherently Inconsistent With Colloquy Statements Regarding Immigration Advice, March 1, 2026
- Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Double Jeopardy Analysis for Multiple Assault Convictions, Holding That Assaultive Acts Occurring Over Short Time Period in Same Location Without Intervening Events Constitute Single Course of Conduct, March 1, 2026
- New Jersey Supreme Court Reverses Drug Convictions Under Cumulative Error Doctrine, Holding Combined Effect of Improper References to Television Series, Gun Violence, and Search Warrants Deprived Defendant of Fair Trial, March 1, 2026
- New York Court of Appeals Announces Coercive Police Tactics Compelling Suspect to Exit Home Constitute “Constructive Entry” Violating Payton, Holds Attenuation Analysis Applies to Third-Party Consent, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Exonerated Texas Prisoner Entitled to $1.68 Million After 22 Years of Wrongful Incarceration, May 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence, Failure to Consult/Investigate/Raise, Expert and Opinion Testimony.
- The Recycled Police Officer: Research Reveals High Cost of Ignoring Prior Misconduct, May 1, 2026. Harassment by Police, Police Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Excessive Force (Police), Police/Govt Misconduct.
- Michigan Claws Back $1.2 Million Paid to Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner, Feb. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Imprisonment, Qualified Immunity, Forensic Sciences, Fabrication of Evidence.
- Exonerated Former Prisoner Wins Election for Chief Record Keeper in New Orleans, Jan. 1, 2026. Prisoner Legal Assistance, Juries, Public Records, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- Utah Supreme Court Announces Framework for Analyzing Combined Brady and Napue Violations, Affirms Postconviction Relief in Capital Murder Case, Jan. 1, 2026. Police Misconduct, Prosecutor/Attorney General Misconduct, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Constructive/Imputed/Presumed knowledge, Brady/Giglio/Jencks Act Issues.
- Chicago Pays Exonerated Prisoners $7.5 Million, Bringing Total to $33.75 Million for Wrongful Convictions, Jan. 1, 2026. Wrongful Conviction, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Fabrication of Evidence, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence, Withdrawal.
- SCOTUS Overturns Oklahoma Prisoner’s Death Sentence After More than 25 Years on Death Row, Nov. 1, 2025. Ex Post Facto, Good Time, Wrongful Conviction, Habeas Corpus, Wrongful Imprisonment, Pardons/Clemency, First Step Act, Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act (CAFRA), Specific Offenses, Controlled Substances, Weapons, Accuracy of Information, Depraved Indifference Murder, Evidence - Circumstantial, Theft, Failure to Disclose, Perjury/Perjured Testimony, Evidence - Failure to Disclose, New Trial - Motions for, Pleas Linked to Cooperation, Evidence - Destruction/Fabrication/Manipulation of, Selective Prosecution/Enforcement, Improper Comments, Official Report, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence, Exculpatory Evidence - Disclosure Obligations.
- Sixth Circuit Upholds $45 Million Verdict for Wrongfully Convicted Former Ohio Prisoner, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- Two Exonerated Illinois Prisoners Win Settlements Totaling $14.5 Million, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.
- Fourth Circuit Revives Wrongful Conviction Claim of Exonerated Maryland Prisoner, State Pays Him $3.1 Million, Aug. 1, 2025. Police Misconduct, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment.

