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Duke Players File Civil Suit Against Nifong and Durham

By Jeralyn, Section Duke Lacrosse
Posted on Fri Oct 05, 2007 at 12:34:51 PM EST
Tags: Duke Lacrosse, Mike Nifong (all tags)
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The three much maligned and wrongfully charged Duke lacrosse players filed their civil suit against ex-DA Mike Nifong and the City of Durham today.

The three former Duke lacrosse players wrongly accused of rape filed a sweeping civil rights lawsuit today against the city of Durham, a host of police officers, former District Attorney Mike Nifong, and the DNA laboratory hired by the disbarred former prosecutor.

The 162-page lawsuit called the case "one of the most chilling episodes of premeditated police, prosecutorial, and scientific misconduct in modern American history, which resulted in charges brought and maintained against three innocent Duke University students and lacrosse players over a period of more than one year. "

Here's what the players want. The copy of the complaint is here (pdf).

The Defendants:

Former District Attorney Mike Nifong; Linwood Wilson, Nifong's investigator; the city of Durham; former Durham Police Chief Steve Chalmers; Deputy Chief Ron Hodge; Captain Jeff Lamb; Major Beverly Hodge; Major Stephen Mihaich; Lt. Michael Ripberger; Major Lee Russ; Sgt. Mark Gottlieb, and Investigator Benjamin Himan.....DNA Security Inc., the private laboratory hired by Nifong to perform DNA testing; Richard Clark, the owner of the laboratory, and Brian Meehan, the scientist who performed the tests.

Representing the players: Williams and Connolly, Barry Scheck, David Rudolf and a New York firm Emeri, Celli Brinckerhoff and Abady.

Representing the city: Steptoe and Johnson.

Crystal Gail Mangum, the false accuser is not named.

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    Duke Players File Civil Suit Against Nifong and Durham | 1 comment (1 topical)

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    Barry Schenck? (none / 0) (#1)
    by Beldar on Sun Oct 07, 2007 at 08:56:31 AM EST
    From Taylor & Johnson's "Until Proven Innocent" at page 164, describing the media's reaction to the defense team's public confirmation that none of the Duke lacrosse players' DNA had been found on or in the complaining witness:

    The New York Times put the defense bombshell on the sports page. Reporters Duff Wilson and Juliet Macur rounded up people to dispute the defense claims, even obtaining a quote from Peter J. Neufeld of the Innocence Project, which has used DNA testing to free nearly two hundred wrongly convicted people. Neufeld's quote sounded skeptical of the defense's DNA case. But he explained later that this was because Duff Wilson had not told him "anything about any of the details in the case."

    Well, maybe his partner's presence will help the players with their civil suit.  I hope so, anyway.

    Duke Players File Civil Suit Against Nifong and Durham | 1 comment (1 topical)

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