New Orleans prosecutors, exonerated man reach $2M settlement
By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Local prosecutors have reached a $2 million settlement with a New Orleans man who spent 23 years in prison before being cleared on charges including rape and manslaughter. Robert Jones says that after so many years he welcomes what he calls “this measure of justice.” He is now community outreach director for Orleans Public Defenders. District Attorney Jason Williams says Jones will get the money over six years. He says the settlement averts the expense of a long trial and the risk that a jury might award Jones more money. A state appeal court vacated the convictions because prosecutors never gave defense lawyers some favorable evidence.
