Seeking Justice For The Innocent

Prosecutors' Tactics Amounted to Civil Rights Violations

The Times-Picayune reports, "The tactics of Orleans Parish prosecutors under former District Attorney Harry Connick came under renewed attack on Tuesday in federal court, in a civil rights lawsuit that is slated for trial this fall.Gregory Bright and Earl Truvia are seeking $1 million for each of the 27 years they spent locked away in state prison on a murder rap that a judge later overturned. The pair, who filed the suit eight years ago, also want punitive damages, accusing Connick's office of hiding key facts from their defense."

"Bright and Truvia are among several murder convicts from Orleans Parish who have been freed based on allegations of misconduct by prosecutors." They were recently, "awarded $190,000 each by the state under a Louisiana law that grants compensation to those wrongfully convicted. The compensation came after a four-year fight."

"A recent study by the Yale Law Journal found that prosecutors are largely immune to any substantial punishment from bar complaints or other measures."

To read the full article By John Simerman, The Times-Picayune