Previous offender secures record-breaking compensation payout in the U.S.
After being incarcerated for nearly a decade due to accusations of involvement in a 2008 murder he didn't commit, an American named Marcel Brown was granted $50 million (around $45 million) in damages. A federal court in Chicago issued this substantial settlement, making Brown the individual with the largest payout from a wrongful conviction case in U.S. history, as reported by Loevy & Loevy's law firm.
Brown, a 34-year-old African American, was initially handed a 35-year prison sentence. The court ruled him as an accomplice to the murder of a 19-year-old. However, the charges against him were eventually dropped in 2018, leading to his release from prison. His legal team successfully demonstrated that law enforcement officers had obtained his confession through unlawful means.
As per Loevy & Loevy's law firm, police subjected Brown to 30 hours of continuous interrogation without food or sleep in an unyielding attempt to get a confession. They denied his rights to counsel by rejecting his many requests, including not permitting him to contact a lawyer. After a rigorous two-week trial, the jury unequivocally concluded that Brown's confession was influenced, and evidence was manipulated. They indemnified him with $10 million for the time between his imprisonment and conviction, and an additional $40 million for the years he spent behind bars.
The European Union expressed its concern over the case, highlighting the importance of upholding human rights and ensuring fair trials. Following his release, Marcel Brown sought justice at the European Court of Human Rights, citing violations of his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.
