‘Deeply remorseful.’ Concord pays record $22M to man wrongfully convicted
CONCORD, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A record $22 million will be paid out to a man who was wrongfully convicted in a 1976 case and ended up serving more than 44 years due to the results in the case, officials with the City of Concord announced on Tuesday.
“The City of Concord acknowledges and accepts responsibility for the significant errors in judgment and willful misconduct by previous city employees that led to Long’s wrongful conviction and imprisonment.”
Ronnie Long was released from prison three years ago after serving 44 years for a crime he did not commit. His conviction was vacated following his release.
Long’s legal team released the following statement on Tuesday. “While there are no measures to fully restore to Mr. Long and his family all that was taken from them, through this agreement we are doing everything in our power to right the past wrongs and take responsibility. We are hopeful this can begin the healing process for Mr. Long and our community, and that together we can move forward while learning valuable lessons and ensuring nothing like this ever happens again.”
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Among those named in a lawsuit were multiple Concord officers as well as the police chief.
“Long’s convictions were not merely the result of mistake, negligence, or incompetence,” the lawsuit stated. “They were the direct result of the intentional and/or reckless misconduct of members of the Concord Police Department.”
This was the largest settlement by the city to date, city officials later confirmed with Queen City News.
Long, who is Black, was 20 years old when he was accused of raping a woman, who is white. Long’s attorneys have said that more than 40 fingerprints collected from the scene were never shared and did not match Long’s. Semen samples also were never disclosed to the defense and later disappeared.
The state initially awarded Long just $750,000 in compensation. Long’s attorney, Duke University law professor Jamie Lau, said the amount was inadequate for people who were imprisoned for decades.
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