SETTLEMENT: Tulsa to pay $26.25M to man wrongfully convicted of rape

William Henry Jamerson’s story is a devastating portrait of injustice. He is, and has always been, an innocent man. Yet, he has spent most of his adult life either behind bars or otherwise trying to clear his name. Mr. Jamerson is the kindest and strongest person I’ve ever known. Despite being sentenced to 44 years in prison for crimes he had nothing to do with, he never lost faith in his pursuit of justice. No amount of money will give Mr. Jamerson back the decades that were stolen from him. But this settlement will allow him to start a new chapter with his good name restored.

With this settlement, Mayor Nichols and the City Council saved Tulsa taxpayers millions. If a jury had heard how Mr. Jamerson’s conviction was based on coerced testimony and how the government withheld or concealed the pertinent DNA evidence for years, the verdict would likely have been astronomical. This settlement allows the City to compensate a deserving man and protect taxpayers from a potentially massive verdict.