MO - Ryan Ferguson-$100M Wrongful Coviction Lawsuit

[Tulessa]

Good for the Fergusons! I wish them well.

I hope he buys his parents an island! Welcome home Ryan!

 

[Nova]

Ryan Ferguson is donating $1 for each of his upcoming "Fitness" book to the Innocence Project. I have to say one thing. He has quickly learned how to monetize his life and being a "victim" of the Justice system. Meanwhile Charles Erickson remains in prison for the same crime. What I do not understand is that if Ryan Ferguson's platform is to truly help others that have been wrongfully convicted, why not the co-defendant in his case Charles Erickson? Seemingly not one penny to Charlie's defense fund to help him. It was Charlie's coerced "confession" and other coerced "witness testimony", per Ryan's lawsuit. The witness testimony has been recanted across the board yet Charlie remains in prison. As a matter of fact Charlie has had to be put in Ad Seg due to threats on his life stemming from the re-airing of 48 hours episodes painting him as a "snitch".

JMO's

https://www.facebook.com/FreedRyanFerguson

https://www.facebook.com/FreeCharlesErickson

Are you seriously faulting Ferguson for not coming to the aid of the man who put him prison for umpteen years? I know, I know: "To err is human, to forgive is divine." But you're asking a lot of Ferguson under the circumstances.

In fact, of course, we don't know whether Ferguson is doing anything to aid Erickson.

 

[jggordo]

I am not faulting anyone for anything except the interrogation wrongdoings, out and out lies, to Charles Erickson which caused this whole debacle. Telling Erickson he could be charged with the death penalty, etc. To my knowledge this case NEVER qualified as a death penalty case.

In Mr Ferguson's own words he claimed that he would help to free Charles Erickson. This is a link to Free Erickson's FB page where his Mother keeps daily watch on that subject. It was LE and Prosecution alleged misconduct that put Ferguson in prison, not Erickson. They used a scared 19 year old kid who they fed the information to be the witness.

JMO's

https://www.facebook.com/FreeCharlesErickson

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Wrongfully imprisoned man gets free trip to Super Bowl

[video=cnn;bestoftv/2013/11/13/ferguson-released-newday.cnn]http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/27/living/wrongfully-imprisoned-man-super-bowl-irpt-feat/index.html[/video]

 

[bessie]

Appeal on judgment delays civil trial for Ryan Ferguson
By Alan Burdziak
Wednesday, August 19, 2015 at 2:00 pm

A $100 million civil suit filed on behalf of a Mid-Missouri man who spent nearly 10 years in custody for the 2001 murder of a Tribune sports editor is on hold indefinitely after the defendants’ attorneys filed an appeal Friday of a judgment made in the case.

Filed in March 2014, four months after Ryan Ferguson was released from prison after an appellate court vacated his conviction, the suit was scheduled for a jury trial to begin Monday in Jefferson City.

[...]
It’s unclear when the case will go to trial, but Bill Ferguson said last week that the family is determined to present their evidence in open court. Zellner said in a statement that she is confident Laughrey’s ruling will stick.

“The district court ruling sets the stage for a jury to evaluate the fabricated evidence and reckless investigation that induced the guilty plea of Charles Erickson and sent Ryan Ferguson to prison for 10 years,” Zellner said. “We firmly believe the appellate court will uphold the district court opinion and Ryan will be fully compensated.”

---

Judge rules on claims in Ryan Ferguson civil case, trial delayed
Posted: Aug 18, 2015 11:39 AM by Matt Johnson, KOMU 8 Content Manager
Updated: Aug 18, 2015 1:34 PM

[...]
The judge's order for jury trial includes the counts against officers of fabrication of evidence, reckless investigation, malicious prosecution, conspiracy and false arrest. A trial date has not been set on those claims. The original trial date was set for Aug. 24.

Ferguson claims police failed to properly investigate evidence in their investigation of Hietholt's murder, including the potential involvement of then-Tribune sports writer Michael Boyd. It also alleges police officers fed information about the murder to Charles Erickson, who was with Ferguson the night of the murder. The lawsuit claims Ryan Ferguson was arrested on March 10, 2004 on "fabricated evidence."

 

[Dogface]

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/ryan-ferguson-lawsuit-remanded-to-district-court/article_68b30e04-9653-11e6-9c2f-b387700d725e.html

In a ruling filed Wednesday, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals sent Ryan Ferguson's $100 million lawsuit against six people from the Columbia Police Department back to the U.S. District Court in Jefferson City, which must decide on the issue of qualified immunity

.


A shame this is still an ongoing battle.

 

[bluesneakers]

Judge rules against police immunity in Ryan Ferguson’s civil rights case

U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey issued the order about three months after the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had sent the case back, instructing her to clarify whether the officers should be entitled to qualified immunity. The order clears up the issue and allows the case to go to trial on several claims of constitutional violations, pending any further appeals at the Eighth Circuit level.

Ryan Ferguson reaches settlement with Columbia police on overturned conviction

A man whose conviction in a Missouri sports editor’s death was overturned after spending nearly a decade in prison has settled a portion of his lawsuit against police

Ryan Ferguson to settle suit with city for undisclosed amount

According to an online filing in U.S. District Court Western District, a settlement on the liability portion of the case is awaiting signatures and should be final by the end of this week or early next week. Attorneys for both Ferguson and the officers provided the status of the settlement during a Tuesday teleconference with U.S. District Court Judge Nanette Laughrey.

City paid almost $300k for defense in civil rights suit

The city paid $297,750.11 to the firm Schreiman, Rackers & Francka, which handled the case for the city and the officers, five retired and one who is still with the department, since Ryan Ferguson’s attorneys filed the lawsuit in March 2014, Sarah Perry, the city’s risk manager, said in an email. The amount paid at the end of April was the latest data Perry had for costs in the case.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Go Ryan!

 

[jggordo]

So is it the taxpayers of Columbia who will actually end up paying Ryan?

 

[HastingsChi]

It's quite curious that his co-defendant is still incarcerated for the crime that they allegedly did not commit and neither Ryan or his bizarre attorney are using their platform to fight hard for his release. Quite reprehensible.

 

[Gtcomo]

I believe they are both guilty!