http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1787086/ what goes around comes around and bites you in the hiney! :twisted:
"With a crowd of supporters by his side, some carrying signs reading "We Believe in Your Integrity and Goodness..." Whatever. I do wonder what some other signs said!
from Drudge RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Attorneys for the three players falsely accused in the Duke University lacrosse rape case are seeking a settlement of about $30 million and several changes to the state's legal process, a person close to the case said early Friday. If the terms aren't met, the players' attorneys will file a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Durham early next month, said the source, who requested anonymity because not all of the details of the proposed settlement had been worked out. During a discussion Wednesday with Durham officials, players' attorneys Brendan Sullivan and Barry Scheck, stressed that the money they are seeking - about $10 million each for David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann over five years - must be accompanied by the legal reforms, the source said. On Thursday, City Attorney Henry Blinder and City Manager Patrick Baker briefed elected officials on the settlement discussions, according to The Herald-Sun of Durham, which first reported on the settlement demands. The city has a $5 million liability insurance policy with a $500,000 deductible, the paper reported. In addition to the money, the attorneys are seeking the creation of ombudsman positions to review complaints of misconduct about North Carolina district attorneys, the source said. They also want Durham city officials to lead the lobbying for any legal changes that would require action by the state's General Assembly. The three players were charged with raping a woman hired to strip at an off-campus party thrown by the lacrosse team in March 2006, but the case was thrown out and the players declared innocent after it became clear that the evidence the case was built on was pitifully weak. The Durham County district attorney who brought the charges, Mike Nifong, was scheduled to report to jail at 9 a.m. Friday to serve a 24-hour sentence after being found in contempt last week for lying to the court. Superior Court Judge W. Osmond Smith III ruled that Nifong, who was disbarred for committing more than two dozen violations of the state's rules of professional conduct, "willfully made false statements" to the court last September when he insisted he had given defense attorneys all results from a critical DNA test. The omitted data contained test results showing that DNA of multiple men, none of whom were lacrosse players, was found on the accuser. A defense attorney eventually deciphered the omitted information amid nearly 2,000 pages of test data.
I thought it was funny that they are putting him in isolation "for his own safety" <snort> Yeah he'll need some protection. 8)
Not to take anything away from the Duke players, but what about all the other people who are wrongly accused and don't have the resources to set the record straight? Seems like every other month or so there's a story about someone who has served years for a crime they didn't commit. It's a reminder that the presumption of innocence should not be taken lightly.
2.5 to 3.3, depending on their agreement and whether the out of court settlement holds. Most attorneys get 1/3 if it goes to court, and less if it settles out of court.
Nope. Actually, I doubt they owe anything for previous services - it's a standing rule among attorneys that criminal matters are always paid up front.
Awe, dosen't this just break your heart? Mike Nifong Bankrupt Disgraced Duke prosecutor lists $180M in liabilities JANUARY 15--Disgraced and disbarred, Mike Nifong is now bankrupt. The former North Carolina prosecutor, whose career imploded with his botched handling of the Duke University rape case, today filed for bankruptcy, listing liabilities in excess of $180 million. A summary schedule from Nifong's Chapter 7 petition can be found below. Almost all of that sum represents legal claims filed against the former Durham County district attorney by members of Duke's 2006 lacrosse team, including the three players who were accused of raping a stripper at a team party. Included among Nifong's assets are a 2003 Honda Accord, about $9000 in personal property, and his $235,000 home. He lists nearly $5000 monthly in pension or retirement income and describes himself, charitably, as retired. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0115084nifong1.html
Hey, isn't there a movie by that name? Oh, no, that was Ernest Goes to Jail. He does favor Ernest a bit in the mug shot, don't you think?:lol:
