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$9 Million Settlement for Illinois Man Wrongly Imprisoned for Murder
by Matt Clarke
In October 2017, a $9 million settlement was reached in a lawsuit brought by an Illinois man who spent 15 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. The suit alleged law enforcement officials fabricated a false murder scenario, coerced false confessions and witness …
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More from this issue:
- Ex-Prisoner Awarded $150,000 after 'Savage Beating' Arranged by Guards, by Dale Chappell
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates Prisoner’s Lawsuit Over Denial of Rastafarian Services, by Matthew Clarke
- Wrongfully Convicted North Carolina Man Receives $4 Million
- Florida: DHS Snitch Busted for Trying to Sell Informant Status to Federal Prisoner, by Monte McCoin
- $550,000 Settlement for Georgia Prisoner Who Lost Leg Due to Improper Care
- BOP Director Resigns in Protest of Prison Reform Bill Clash, by Steve Horn
- Texas Prisons Stop Using Solitary Confinement as Punishment, but Thousands Kept in Administrative Segregation, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit Holds Denial of Diabetic Diet During Lockdowns States Claim, by Matthew Clarke
- Confidential Settlement by Corizon in Arizona Prisoner’s Death from Untreated Flu
- Settlement Ends Forced Religious Classes in Tennessee Prison Industry Program
- Lawsuit Filed in Death of Kentucky Prisoner Held in Five-point Restraints, by Derek Gilna
- Michigan Jail Wrongful Death Suit Settles for $500,000, by Christopher Zoukis
- Troubles at California Jail Lead Sheriff to Forgo Reelection, by Derek Gilna
- Wisconsin Paid Former Prison Employees $105,000 to Settle Harassment Cases, by Derek Gilna
- Virginia Parole Board Changes “Three-Strikes” Interpretation, by David Reutter
- Nevada DOC Settles Suit Over Prisoner Suicide for $93,000, by Matthew Clarke
- California: Whistle-blowing Prison Employee Fired, Loses Lawsuit, by Edward Lyon
- $9 Million Settlement for Illinois Man Wrongly Imprisoned for Murder, by Matthew Clarke
- ACLU Reaches Confidential Settlement in CIA Detainee Torture Lawsuit, by Derek Gilna
- UK Court Blocks Extradition of Accused Hacker to United States, by Christopher Zoukis
- North Carolina Prisoner Exonerated for Rape Collects $9.5 Million Settlement
- Federal Court Nullifies Seizure of Prisoner’s Civil Rights Award
- “Egregious” Lack of Care by Jail’s Medical Contractor Leads to $1 Million Settlement, by Dale Chappell
- Indiana’s SOMM Program Declared Unconstitutional by Federal Court, by Dale Chappell
- Lawsuit on Behalf of Prisoners in 1993 Lucasville Riot Challenges Ban on Media Access, by Edward Lyon
- New Virginia Law Requires Oversight of Jail Deaths
- Oregon: Former Clackamas Deputy, Probation Officer Sentenced for Child Rape, by Monte McCoin
- Exonerated Prisoner Awarded $15 Million for Misconduct by Baltimore Police, by Derek Gilna
- Office of Inspector General Finds Abuses at ICE Detention Facilities, by Christopher Zoukis
- Civil Commitment Used to Imprison Drug Users in Massachusetts, by Edward Lyon
- Illinois: $380,000 Settlement in Lawsuit Over Jail Prisoner Assaulted by Other Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Tennessee Judge Ends Sentence Reductions for Prisoners Who Agree to Sterilization; Receives Reprimand, by David Reutter
- Retaliatory “Rough Ride” by Prison Guards States Eighth Amendment Claim, by David Reutter
- Second Circuit Reverses Judgment in Favor of U.S. Citizen Held 3½ Years in Immigration Detention, by Matthew Clarke
- The Magnificent Seven, by Mumia Abu-Jamal
- Settlement in Class-action ADA Suit Against Shasta County, California Jail, by Derek Gilna
- U.S. Supreme Court: Prevailing Prisoners Must Pay 25 Percent of Damage Awards Towards Attorney Fees, by Derek Gilna
- A&E Reality Show Puts Undercover Volunteers, Hidden Cameras in Jails, by Dale Chappell
- State Criminal Justice Reform Efforts Gaining Traction, by Christopher Zoukis
- Census Bureau will Count Incarcerated People in the Wrong Place Once Again in 2020 Census, Continues to Distort Democracy
- John Legend Fights for Criminal Justice Reform, by Christopher Zoukis
- Supreme Court Reverses Ninth Circuit Ruling Banning Pretrial Full-body Shackling, by Derek Gilna
- Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Reports Inaccurate Jail Violence Data, by Edward Lyon
- “Less Lethal” Tasers Continue to Kill Dozens of Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
- Idaho Settles Religious Discrimination Suit Brought by Incarcerated Odinist
- The Prison Phone Industry Has Quietly Become Even More of a Duopoly, by Steve Horn
- Idaho Prisoner Swallows Razor Blade to Force Corizon to Provide Medical Care, by Monte McCoin
- Pennsylvania: SCI Graterford’s Replacement Slated to Open
- $10,000 Federal Jury Award in Texas Prisoner’s Suit Over Retaliatory Beatings, by Matthew Clarke
- Lawsuits Filed, Renewed Push to Block Cell Phones After Deadly South Carolina Prison Riot, by Steve Horn
- Nebraska Supreme Court Reverses Injunction Against Ban on Prisoner-Prisoner Marriages
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Fifth Circuit Partially Reinstates Mississippi Prisoner’s Suit Over Inadequate Mental Health Care
- Human Rights Defense Center Files Censorship Suit Against Illinois DOC, by Derek Gilna
- News in Brief
- Litigation Heats Up Over Extreme Temperatures in Prisons, Jails, by Matthew Clarke, Christopher Zoukis
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Seventh Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Detectives Who Revealed Prisoner Was Informant, Denies Him Anonymity, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Holds Federal Law Prohibits County Jail from Forcing Immigration Detainees to Perform Custodial Labor by Threatening Solitary Confinement, Aug. 1, 2026
- New Mexico Supreme Court Holds Corrections Department Regulations Do Not Exempt Use-Of-Force Documents from Public Records Disclosure, Aug. 1, 2026
- DOJ Issues Memorandum Over BOP Employees Abusing Their Law Enforcement Credentials to Illegally Purchase Personal Firearms, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Summary Judgment Against Former Illinois Prison Guards Challenging Termination for Violating Use of Force Policy, Aug. 1, 2026
- Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Barring Enforcement of Executive Order to Transfer Trans Women Prisoners to Men’s Prisons, Aug. 1, 2026
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Capital Conviction, July 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- L.A. County Begins Making Nearly $5 Billion in Payouts to Survivors of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention, Sept. 1, 2026. Sexual Assault, Staff-Prisoner Assault, Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Settlements, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
- Florida DOC Rebuked for Seizing Prisoner’s Excessive Force Settlement to Cover Incarceration Liens, Sept. 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Settlements, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Trust Accounts, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- $500,000 for Mentally Ill Detainee Beaten by Guard at Ohio Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Summary Judgment, Settlements, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- $3 Million Paid by San Diego County for Diabetic Detainee’s Jail Death; NaphCare Settles Separately for Undisclosed Amount, Sept. 1, 2026. Naphcare, Diabetes, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Michigan DOC Legal Payouts Top $7 Million in FY 2025, Less than One Percent of $2.15 Billion Operating Budget, Sept. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Damages, Settlements.
- $11 Million Paid by Boston to Exonerated Prisoner for 37-Year Wrongful Incarceration, Sept. 1, 2026. Settlements, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Monell Liability, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence.
- Hawai‘i Pays $600,000 for Prisoner’s Withdrawal Death, Sept. 1, 2026. Medication, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- 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.
- $3 Million Settlement Reached with BOP for Attorney’s Fees in Sex Abuse Class-Action from Now-Shuttered California “Rape Club”, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Attorney Fee Awards, Settlements, Consent Decrees, Class Actions.
- $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.

