Ronnie Long, a Black North Carolina man exonerated and freed after serving 44 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, would be receiving $25 million.
The announcement was made by the Duke Law School's Wrongful Conviction Clinic this week, ABC affiliate WMUR reported.
According to the clinic's press release, Long was previously accused of raping a 54-year-old White woman and was convicted by an all-White jury of rape and burglary in 1976. He was exonerated in 2020 after evidence that was suppressed during the original trial was provided in court, prompting the city of Concord and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to settle a civil lawsuit with Long.
Peter Weinberger / The Charlotte Observer via AP file
Duke Lawyer: Money Can't Buy Back Long's Time
In a statement announcing the settlement, Concord officials acknowledged and accepted responsibility "for the significant errors in judgment and willful misconduct by previous city employees," which led to Long's wrongful conviction and imprisonment.
However, Duke Law School's Jamie Lau, a supervising attorney for the clinic, stressed that no amount of money would ever compensate Long for the 44 years he was behind bars.
"While he was in prison his parents passed away; he missed birthdays, graduations, funerals, and other important events that mark a person's life. He can never get this time back," she added.
In 2020, the year he was released, Long was told he was to receive $750,000 in compensation to be paid out at $50,000 per year, the maximum amount possible under North Carolina law. The following year, he told CNN he intended to fight such a law.
