Current:Home > StocksIllinois man wrongly imprisoned for murder wins $50 million jury award -Dynamic Money Growth
Illinois man wrongly imprisoned for murder wins $50 million jury award
View
Date:2025-04-27 15:44:34
CHICAGO (AP) — A federal jury has awarded $50 million in damages to a suburban Chicago man who was exonerated in a murder and released from prison in 2018 after spending about 10 years behind bars.
Monday’s unanimous jury verdict in favor of Marcel Brown, 34, of Oak Park came after a two-week trial, the Chicago Tribune reported, citing federal court records.
Brown was arrested at 18 and sentenced to 35 years in prison after he was convicted of being an accomplice in the 2008 murder of 19-year-old Paris Jackson in Chicago’s Galewood neighborhood, according to the federal lawsuit he filed in 2019.
Brown was released from prison in July 2018. The criminal case against him was dropped following testimony from his mother and a lawyer hired by his mother, both of whom were prevented from speaking with him the night of his arrest.
Brown was awarded a certificate of innocence in 2019, according to his lawsuit, which named as defendants the city of Chicago, a group of Chicago police officers, an assistant Cook County state’s attorney and Cook County.
Brown’s suit accused the defendants of violating his constitutional rights and of maliciously prosecuting him. It also contended that the defendants intentionally caused him emotional distress when they prevented him from speaking with a lawyer and drew a false confession out of him after more than a day of interrogation later found to be illegal.
In Monday’s decision, the jury split the damages into $10 million for Brown’s detention preceding his trial and $40 million for the postconviction period, according to a court filing. The jurors also ordered one of the detectives in the case to pay Brown $50,000 in punitive damages, court records show.
Brown beamed Monday evening as he addressed reporters outside the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in downtown Chicago following the verdict, surrounded by his attorneys and family members.
“Justice was finally served for me and my family today,” Brown said. “We’re just thankful, being able to be here today. Thank you, jurors.”
Attorney Locke Bowman of the law firm of Loevy & Loevy said the verdict should serve as a “wakeup call” to city leaders “that it is time to get a grip on the way the Chicago Police Department is conducting its interrogations.”
A spokesperson for Chicago’s law department said Monday night that the city was reviewing the verdict and assessing its options.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- New Google alert will tell you when you appear in search, help remove personal information
- England advances at World Cup despite Lauren James' red card in Round of 16 versus Nigeria
- Federal judge says California’s capital city can’t clear homeless camps during extreme heat
- Sam Taylor
- Urgent effort underway to save coral reefs from rising ocean temperatures off Florida Keys
- Stock market today: Asia mixed after Wall St rallies ahead of US inflation update
- Vanderpump Rules' Ariana Madix Shakes Off Wardrobe Malfunction Like a Pro
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Orioles indicate broadcaster will be back after reports he was pulled over unflattering stats
Ranking
- Average rate on 30
- 'Claim to Fame' castoff Hugo talks grandpa Jimmy Carter's health and dating a castmate
- Biden jokes he can relate with Astros' Dusty Baker, oldest manager to win World Series
- Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes named No. 1 in NFL's 'Top 100 Players of 2023' countdown
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- New national monument comes after more than a decade of advocacy by Native nations
- Consumer credit grows at moderate pace as Fed rate hikes take hold.
- Judge rejects Trump's counterclaim against E. Jean Carroll
Recommendation
Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
From Conventional to Revolutionary: The Rise of the Risk Dynamo, Charles Williams
Nearly all teens on Idaho YMCA camp bus that crashed have been released to their families
4-year-old Michigan girl struck and run over by golf cart after fire department's dog lies down on vehicle's gas pedal
California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
FCC hands out historic fine to robocaller company over 5 billion auto warranty calls
'The Lincoln Lawyer' Season 2 ending unpacked: Is Lisa guilty? Who's buried by the cilantro?
'Sound of Freedom' funder charged with child kidnapping amid controversy, box office success