TULSA, Okla. — The last time 2 News Oklahoma covered the story of Henry Jamerson’s wrongful rape conviction, he settled a lawsuit with the City of Tulsa for more than $26 million.
Now, there’s a fight for money from the State of Oklahoma.
WATCH: WRONGFUL CONVICTION: $26M later, why Henry Jamerson says he’s still owed money
In November of 2025, after serving nearly 24 years wrongfully in prison and fighting 10 more years to clear his name, Jamerson received a lump-sum settlement from the City of Tulsa.
“A whole lot of joy. Happy it’s over and can move on with my life,” he said at that time.
But his battle isn't over yet.
Jamerson’s attorney, Dan Smolen, says that the State of Oklahoma should have automatically paid out $1.1 million. Under Oklahoma's Governmental Tort Claims Act for wrongful convictions, claimants are awarded $50,000 for every year they served in prison.
“The state is on the hook for the statutory amount of $50,000 per year, and they’re simply just refusing to pay it,” said Smolen.
A letter was sent to the state, notifying it of the impending lawsuit. Smolen said any conversation route with the decision-maker, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, did not work.
“Ultimately, they took the position that they were not going to pay the money, but without giving any kind of clear reason as to why, and without putting any specifics into writing,” said Smolen.
With a legal deadline to file a tort claim looming and no answer from the AG’s office, they filed suit.
Smolen points out that under prior tort-claim laws, the amount owed would have been much lower. He said if the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office had not fought Jamerson’s appeal and settled years ago, the payout would have capped out at $175,000. Tort-law claims for wrongful convictions changed in November of 2025.
For Jamerson, this latest effort is about more than money; it's about accountability from every entity involved in putting him away.
2 News reached out for comment from both the AG and the DA’s office.
The DA’s office said that the AG’s office is handling this case and referred us to them.
We have not heard back from the AG’s office.
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