Case Results

Favorable Settlement Obtained in Suit Based Upon Decades-Old Wrongful Conviction

Dan Hartzog, Dan Hartzog Jr., and Katherine Barber-Jones obtained a favorable settlement of claims against several retired police officers and a North Carolina municipality brought by a man who had been sentenced to life in prison for rape and burglary in the late 1980s.  After the man was released and pardoned based upon newly-tested DNA evidence, he alleged that the city and detectives had obtained his guilty plea through unconstitutional means and had violated his rights by failing to discover and turn over the DNA evidence that ultimately exculpated him. After extensive investigation and discovery, the firm’s attorneys assisted in obtaining a settlement agreement that resolved the claims to the satisfaction of all parties.