"Record $25M Settlement Awarded to Man Wrongfully Imprisoned for 44 Years"

Ronnie Long, a Black man wrongfully convicted of raping a white woman and imprisoned for 44 years, has reached a historic $25 million settlement with the city of Concord, North Carolina, and the State Bureau of Investigation. Long's attorneys highlighted numerous issues with his trial, including the removal of Black potential jurors and the mishandling of evidence. Long's release in 2020 was followed by a pardon from the governor and a previous $750,000 settlement from the state. He and his attorneys hope his case sets a standard for handling similar wrongful conviction cases.