Nifong Serves Sentence; Players Seek $30 Million

[struggle4progress]

Durham, NC -- Mike Nifong, the former district attorney who was forced from office and disbarred for his handling of the Duke lacrosse case, reported for jail yesterday to serve the one-day sentence he received for contempt of court ... Meanwhile, the three players who were charged .. are seeking a settle with the city of Durham for $30 million ... http://www.laxpower.com/laxnews/news.php?story=7615

[fedupfisherman]

1. Hope they do not get it

Taxpayers should not be paying for any settlement to them (Duke players)

[wildhorses]

2. welcome to du and the nc forum --

is that you barney? :hi:

[Pool Hall Ace]

3. The settlement seems excessive to me.

[Lance_Boyle]

4. I think it is intended to be punitive, not compensatory.

It is too bad that the City of Durham will end up paying those three young men so much taxpayer money, but I don't think the question is whether or not they "deserve" that much. The question is whether what was done to them in the city's name by the city's rogue prosecutor is so vile as to warrant such severe punitive damages. I tend to think it is. The city may whittle the amount down some, but it will pay.

[struggle4progress]

7. North Carolina caps wrongful imprisonment compensation at $20K/year

or about $55/day. So $10 million corresponds roughly to what NC pays for 500 years of wrongful time served. None of these people spent more than part of an afternoon in jail.

Compensating the exonerated
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/burden/etc/chart.html

[Lance_Boyle]

8. they are not seeking compensation for wrongful imprisonment. n/t

[struggle4progress]

9. If you can suggest a better basis for numerical comparison, feel free: I've posted two examples.

[Lance_Boyle]

12. Not my job - why don't you ask their attorneys?

I'm sure they have a sound legal basis for their demand. If not, it won't be entertained by the city.

Your irrational aversion to (presumed) rich white males from Duke is known to most on this board by now - why must you continue harping on the subject? The lacrosse players were wronged by the city (through the actions of the city's prosecutor) and by the University, and are equally as deserving of compensation as anyone else would be under similar circumstances. The amount will be decided between the players' attorneys and the city, likely without assistance from civil courts. And the decided amount will be paid, regardless of continued mewing from uninvolved spectators who would alter reality to fit their biases.

[struggle4progress]

13. Your claim I have some "aversion to .. rich white males from Duke" is hallucinatory

[struggle4progress]

6. ... families of those killed in the 9/11 attacks received about $1.8 million ..

Opinions Differ About Duke Lacrosse Settlement
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=triangle&id=5658643

[SunDrop23]

5. Perhaps if they would turn over the settlement to charity...but

...that's not going to happen and their families had enough money going into this thing to ensure the players would face no residual effect after their names were cleared.

The rich are looking to get richer, IMO.

30 million.

Silly.

[Triana]

18. Just agreeing with Sundrop23 here...(n/t)

[struggle4progress]

10. Lax suit outcome still murky

news analysis
By: Yousef AbuGharbieh
Issue date: 9/14/07 Section: News
Last update: 9/16/07 at 12:59 AM EST

... Though there is probably enough evidence to prove wrongdoing on the part of former Durham district attorney Mike Nifong, the city of Durham is not necessarily legally responsible, <Duke law professor Thomas> Metzloff said ...

Under civil law, there are only four ways a municipality can be held legally responsible for the actions of individuals acting on their behalf, said Duke law professor Erwin Chemerinsky. Three of the four categories, which deal with poor policies or deliberate indifference at the municipal level, are unlikely to apply to the case, he said ...

Even if Evans, Finnerty and Seligmann won a civil suit against the city and were awarded damages, they might not receive the full amount because the players have already settled with Duke for an undisclosed sum of money, Metzloff said ...

"It's not likely to be a slam-dunk case," he said ...

http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2007/09/14/News/Lax-Suit.Outcome.Still.Murky-2969536.shtml

[struggle4progress]

11. Other N.C. cases settled for less than lacrosse demands

... That amount is millions more than Darryl Hunt received for spending 18 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of the 1984 killing of a woman in Winston-Salem ...

Hunt, who spent 18 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of killing a woman in Winston-Salem, received $1.65 million from Winston-Salem and an additional $368,000 from the state. He had been sentenced to life in prison ...

Largess also mentioned Alan Gell, the Bertie County man who was sentenced to death for a murder, then released after nine years in prison when it was revealed prosecutors withheld evidence documenting his innocence. His civil lawsuit is pending.

"What does he get for those years?" Largess said. "No one in California knew who Alan Gell was. But you could argue what he went through was much worse." ...

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/564/story/185722.html

[Triana]

14. ..and they already got money from Duke...

...it appears to me that they are just golddigging at this point.

Greedy, much? I think they are. I also hope the city does not end up paying them a dime. They've been well cared for and compensated already.

[College Liberal]

15. Umm, thats a double negative.....

I don't think these "boys" should get one damn red cent. Before i go on my tirade, anyone else think it cute that GROWN MEN are referred to BOYS when they get into hot water? I live 30 mins. from Raleigh, and i will be damned if any of my hard earned tax dollars goes to these fake "victims."

not withstanding that there was no PROOF that she was NOT raped, I am so sick and tired of rich guys who think they can use woman, and woman of color at that, as their "Good Time Girls."

How degrading that women were used as a form of entertainment that night, that should be the main reason why these boys should not get any damages.

WOMAN HOLD UP HALF THE SKY :)

[struggle4progress]

16. Three more players have sued, hoping to rake in the cash from a supposed giant conspiracy:

3 Duke lacrosse players, not charged in case, file lawsuit
University, city of Durham, prosecutor named in suit

By Anne Blythe
McClatchy Newspapers
Published on: 12/18/07

In the 400-page complaint, Robert Ekstrand, the Durham lawyer representing the players, lists 35 causes of action that range from negligent infliction of emotional distresss to fraud.

The suit lists dozens of defendants, from such high-ranking Duke officials as President Richard Brodhead and health system CEO Dr. Victor Dzau down to the public spokeswoman for the Durham police.

"This action arises out of a combination of actors and entities that, from time to time, we refer to ...as the Consortium," the complaint states ...

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2007/12/18/dukelacross_1219.html

[College Liberal]

17. Why again are these "boys" treated as victims?

Please, can anyone help me understand that one?

[Lance_Boyle]

19. Because that's the proper word for someone who has been harmed.

I, for one, wonder when we can stop referring to the "Duke Lacrosse case" and begin to refer to the "dirty DA and crazy stripper conspiracy." Then again, it's awfully fun to swing by every once in awhile to see what new lows the irrational haters will achieve. Perhaps we'll find out that one of these falsely accused students once jaywalked or something. :eyes: