Here we go
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. "
The lawsuit was filed against 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.
The lawsuit also named 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.
The lawsuit charges that the defendants maliciously conspired to charge three innocent men with rape, even though they knew that charges were "a total fabrication by a mentally troubled, drug-prone exotic dancer whose claims, time and again, were contradicted by physical evidence, documentary evidence, other witnesses, and even the accuser herself."
The motive, according to the lawsuit, was to use the false allegations as fuel for a media campaign so that Nifong could win a contested election for District Attorney.
Ouch! Also still being bandied about is the figure of $30 million dollars for the suit. Thanks, Nifong, for the problems you have caused these three men, and the money you are going to cost the taxpayers of the State of North Carolina.
… Where’s Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, the NAACP and ACLU now? Aren’t they coming to the rescue of ‘Badfinger’ Nifong? How many innocent inmates are incarcerated because of this corrupy crony? – NC taxpayers want to know 2007?