Man wins largest wrongful conviction settlement in US history

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Friday, March 20, 2015
Juan Rivera
Juan Rivera
Center on Wrongful Convictions-WLS

WAUKEGAN, Ill. -- A wrongful conviction case in Lake County, Illinois, has settled at $20 million, the largest-ever settlement of its kind in U.S. history, according to plaintiff Juan Rivera's attorneys.

Rivera served almost 20 years for a rape and murder conviction that was reversed in January 2012 after DNA evidence led investigators to another suspect.

The case, which involved the murder of 11-year-old Holly Staker in 1992, went to trial three times. It was re-opened after Rivera's conviction was reversed.

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