this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2024
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Ronnie Long was convicted by an all-white jury in North Carolina on Oct. 1, 1976, after he was accused of raping a white woman in Concord.

A Black North Carolina man who spent 44 years in prison after he was wrongfully convicted of raping a prominent white woman has been awarded a historic $25 million settlement more than three years after he was exonerated.

Ronnie Long, 68, settled his civil lawsuit with the city of Concord, about 25 miles northeast of Charlotte, for $22 million, the city said in a news release Tuesday. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation had previously settled for $3 million, according to Duke Law School’s Wrongful Convictions Clinic.

The clinic, which represented Long, said the settlement is the second largest wrongful conviction settlement recorded.

"It’s, obviously, a celebratory day today knowing that Ronnie’s going to have his means met for the rest of his life with this settlement. It’s been a long road to get to this point so that’s a great outcome," clinical professor Jamie Lau, Long's criminal attorney, said in a phone interview Tuesday.

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[–] Wiggums@lemmy.world 61 points 10 months ago (4 children)
[–] jwt@programming.dev 30 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Honestly, I don't think increasing the amount would make a difference. He won't be able to buy back the years of life they took from him with it. He can use that 25M to spend the years he has left living as rich of a life as he wants, and by all means he deserves it.

[–] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I hope he doesn't end up like those lottery winners who go broke within a year because everyone steals from them and then someone murders ☹️

[–] rab@lemmy.ca 3 points 10 months ago

I don't think that's why lotto winners go broke, it's because the average person is simply bad with money

I also think that being rich requires a certain narcissistic mindset and that the average person is generous and would naturally share if gifted excess wealth

[–] Ignisnex@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago (2 children)

So, I get where you're coming from here, but $25 million is still an enormous amount of money objectively. Obviously there isn't really a way to convert 44 years of incarceration into an equivalent financial denomination, but if we think about earnings that could be had in that time, $25 million by far covers it.

If this guy were to have a job paying $100k a year for his whole life, he'd be making well in excess of the average, and still only have about $6 million total earnings by the time they retire. Let's double it and assume he was making $200k a year for his entire working life, that's still only half the amount he was awarded. So this amount paid could be said to cover a lifetime of high pay, plus an equivalent amount in damages, plus a little extra on top for good measure.

[–] fidodo@lemmy.world 22 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

It's proportionally correct. I bet lots of people would agree to a year in prison for half a million, but there's simply no amount that would compensate for half your life in prison. At least this is enough for him to spend the rest of his life doing whatever he wants.

[–] lordmauve@programming.dev 9 points 10 months ago

Maybe I'd take the first year in prison for a half a million* but ask me again 1 year later, do you want to do a second year? No, I want 600k. Next year, 700k. 44 years? Honey, you can't afford it.

* I wouldn't, my number is higher than that.

[–] ipkpjersi@lemmy.ml 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I would agree to it with the caveat that it wouldn't be on my record. Otherwise, it would likely affect potential future earnings.

It's true, this is quite a lot of money for him to retire with now. Nothing makes up for the lost time but all he can do now is make the best of this and try to enjoy his remaining life.

[–] fidodo@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

In this comparison it wouldn't be on your record since this guy was innocent and exonerated so matching the situation you'd be clean too

[–] dwalin@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Its the oportunity cost. All of the oportunities to have a normal life

[–] Ignisnex@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Of course, hence why I said that it's not possible to convert incarceration time into money. Removing agency is to remove possibility to proceed however one sees fit. Likely he would have been financially poorer off, but life isn't a measure of worth by dollars. Only the most degenerate among us think that bigger numbers in various accounts equates to a good life.

[–] Kbobabob@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Wiggums@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Kbobabob@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

I was actually hoping that they would answer.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 1 points 10 months ago

How so? The original trial was wrong but you can't fix that by making the victim crazy rich.

With $25 Million dollars you could buy a fleet of Yachts