Date: 05-06-2006

Case Style: Earl Washington, Jr. v. Estate of Virginia State Police Special Agent Curtis Reese

Case Number: 3:02-cv-00106-nkm-bwc

Judge: Norman K. Moon

Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, Albemarle County

Plaintiff's Attorney:

Peter J. Neufeld and Debi Cornwall of Cochran Neufeld & Scheck, LLP, New York, New York

Steven Rosenfield of Rosenfield & Wayland, Charlottesville, Virginia

Barry Weinstein, Law Offices of Barry A. Weinstein, Elkins, West Virginia

Victor M. Glasberg of Victor M. Glasberg & Associates, Alexandria, Virginia

Robert Hall of Hall Sickels Rostant Frei & Kattenburg, P.C., Renton, Virginia

Defendant's Attorney:

Brian Pumphrey, James Neale and William Broaddus of McGuire Woods, LLP, Richmond, Virginia

Description:

Earl Washington, Jr. sued Estate of Virginia State Police Special Agent Curtis Reese on a civil rights theory, 42 U.S.C. 1983, claiming that he was wrongfully convicted of the 1982 rape and murder Rebecca Lynn Williams. That Williams, age 46, who is mildly retarded did not commit the crime was proven in 2000 by DNA testing that pointed to another man. Washington claimed that Wilmore fabricated his confession by feeding him nonpublic details about the crime and then misrepresenting to the prosecutor that those details originated with Washington. Washington served more than nine years on death row. Several dates were set, and he came within nine days of execution. In 1994, questions about his guilt caused then-Gov. L. Douglas Wilder to commute Washington's sentence to life in prison. He eventually served 18 year in prison. As Mr. Washington was serving time in the general prison population from 1984-2001 for an unrelated crime, all damages were awarded solely for the 9 ½ years he spent on death row.

Outcome: Plaintiff's verdict for $2.25 million.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Prof. Richard Leo (false confessions); Joseph Buckley of Reid & Associates (police interrogation practices); James Aiken (death row); Dr. Stuart Grassian (psychological impact of death row)

Defendant's Experts:

Prof. John Douglass (police interrogation practices)

Comments: None