Alan Newton spent 22 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit and after a post-conviction DNA test proved his innocence, he was freed in 2006.
Newton sued the city and was awarded $18.5 million by a jury in 2010 for his wrongful conviction. Since then, the city has been trying to prevent Newton from collecting his money.
In 2011, Manhattan Federal Court Judge Shira Scheindlin vacated the jury's verdict. She said Newton wasn't entitled to damages because he didn't prove the city had violated his civil rights.
But in February 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed Scheindlin's decision, reinstating the original verdict.
The federal court of appeals also rejected the city's request to rehear the appeal, the New York Daily News reports.
Earlier this month, the city tried to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the court declined to hear it. In a last-ditch effort to further delay paying Newton, the city has filed new court docs asking Scheindlin to reduce the award, calling it "grossly excessive. "
"This is a journey that started in 1984, and it’s still going on because the city refuses to take any responsibility," Newton told the Daily News.
He currently works part-time for CUNY's Black Male Initiative, which aims to increase the academic success of black men.
Newton sued the city and was awarded $18.5 million by a jury in 2010 for his wrongful conviction. Since then, the city has been trying to prevent Newton from collecting his money.
In 2011, Manhattan Federal Court Judge Shira Scheindlin vacated the jury's verdict. She said Newton wasn't entitled to damages because he didn't prove the city had violated his civil rights.
But in February 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed Scheindlin's decision, reinstating the original verdict.
The federal court of appeals also rejected the city's request to rehear the appeal, the New York Daily News reports.
Earlier this month, the city tried to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the court declined to hear it. In a last-ditch effort to further delay paying Newton, the city has filed new court docs asking Scheindlin to reduce the award, calling it "grossly excessive. "
"This is a journey that started in 1984, and it’s still going on because the city refuses to take any responsibility," Newton told the Daily News.
He currently works part-time for CUNY's Black Male Initiative, which aims to increase the academic success of black men.
...tell me this aint real...
