What is the largest wrongful conviction settlement?
Asked by: Janis Hammes | Last update: February 8, 2026Score: 4.7/5 (10 votes)
The largest known wrongful conviction settlements vary by claim, but recent major awards include a $120 million verdict against Chicago for two men, a $25 million settlement for Maurice Hastings in California (largest in CA history), and a $75 million verdict for Henry McCollum and Leon Brown in North Carolina, with other significant cases like Juan Rivera also receiving substantial payouts, highlighting large sums for decades of lost freedom.
Was Maurice Hastings awarded $25 million for 38 year wrongful conviction in California?
Maurice Hastings, a 72-year-old Black man who spent nearly four decades behind bars for a crime he did not commit, has been awarded $25 million in what his attorneys describe as the largest wrongful conviction settlement in California history.
What is the most famous wrongful conviction case?
1. The Central Park Five (1989) In 1989, the Central Park Five case shocked New York City, involving five teenagers wrongfully convicted of assault and rape. Forced confessions and evident racial bias marred their trial, leading to a grave miscarriage of justice.
What is the largest payout for wrongful imprisonment?
When the judge read the verdict, the courtroom was stunned. McCollum and Brown were awarded the largest wrongful conviction verdict in U.S. history: $75 million total. But for the brothers, it wasn't about the money. It was about the joy they felt because the jury heard their stories and believed them.
How much money do people get for being wrongfully convicted?
To obtain payment, the person starts the process by submitting a claim to CalVCB under Penal Code section 4900. This is also called an erroneous conviction claim. If the claim is approved, the person can receive up to $140 per day for the time they spent serving a prison sentence solely for that felony.
$45M verdict for wrongful conviction
Who was the longest innocent person in jail?
The longest wrongful imprisonment in U.S. history belongs to Glynn Simmons, who was exonerated after serving 48 years for a 1974 Oklahoma murder he did not commit, making him the longest-serving wrongfully convicted inmate to be freed in the country, released in 2023. Another notable case is Richard Phillips, who spent 45 years imprisoned before his release in 2018, though Simmons's case surpasses his record for wrongful conviction in the U.S.
What is the most common wrongful conviction?
While a systemic issue often cannot be traced back to a singular cause, in this case, the most common factor leading to wrongful convictions is faulty eyewitness testimony. An overwhelming majority, as high as 75%, of known wrongful convictions involve mistaken eyewitness identifications6.
What is the longest a prisoner has been on death row?
The longest-serving death row inmate in the world was Iwao Hakamata of Japan, who spent 47 years on death row before being released and later acquitted in 2024, though he was exonerated in 2014 and received compensation for his wrongful imprisonment. In the U.S., Raymond Riles was the longest-serving, with over 45 years on Texas death row before being resentenced to life in prison in 2021 due to mental incompetence.
Has anyone been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death?
The death penalty carries the inherent risk of executing an innocent person. Since 1973, at least 202 people who were wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have been exonerated.
What state had the most wrongful convictions?
While wrongful convictions happen in every state, some experience a higher percentage than others. More specifically, Illinois has the highest number of wrongful convictions in the United States, based on exoneration statistics. The negative effects of a wrongful conviction extend far beyond the financial consequences.
Where is Maurice Hastings now?
Today, Hastings lives in Southern California, where he has found peace through his faith and community.
Did Ryan Ferguson get a settlement?
Ryan Ferguson received a significant legal settlement after his wrongful conviction, culminating in a $43.8 million award in June 2025 from Travelers Insurance for bad faith refusal to pay his original 2017 settlement with Columbia police detectives, adding to the $11 million award he won against the city for their roles in his decade-long imprisonment for a 2001 murder. This total, combining his earlier settlement and the massive punitive damages from the insurer, marks one of the largest payouts for a wrongful conviction in U.S. history, with funds intended to help other wrongly incarcerated individuals.
How much of a 30K settlement will I get?
From a $30,000 settlement, you'll likely receive significantly less, with amounts depending on attorney fees (often 33-40%), outstanding medical bills (paid from the settlement), case expenses, and potentially taxes, with a realistic take-home amount often falling into the thousands or tens of thousands after these deductions are covered, requiring a breakdown by your attorney.
What is the hardest lawsuit to win?
The hardest cases to win in court often involve high emotional stakes, like crimes against children or sexual assault, where jurors struggle with bias; complex, voluminous evidence, such as white-collar fraud; and defenses that challenge societal norms, like an insanity plea, which faces high scrutiny and conflicting expert testimony. Cases with weak physical evidence, uncooperative witnesses (like in sex crimes), or those involving unpopular defendants (e.g., child abusers) are particularly challenging for defense attorneys.
What is considered a large settlement amount?
A large settlement amount is generally considered to be in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, reserved for severe, catastrophic, or wrongful death cases with permanent impairments, significant lifelong care needs, or major wage loss, while smaller settlements (under $100k) cover minor to moderate injuries, with substantial payouts depending heavily on injury severity, medical costs, and impact on quality of life.
What is 25 years in jail called?
Individuals sentenced to LWOP are not eligible for parole and are expected to spend the rest of their lives in prison. Life With the Possibility of Parole: This sentence allows for the possibility of release after serving a minimum number of years, typically 25 years in California.
Who is the longest serving prisoner alive today?
While it's hard to name one definitive person globally due to varying records, Francis Clifford Smith (released in 2020) was considered the longest-serving U.S. prisoner, but the title of longest-serving currently incarcerated person likely belongs to someone like Walter H. Bourque Jr., serving since 1955, or other inmates whose exact status needs confirmation, as Francis Smith was paroled in 2020, though records focus on the U.S. and historical cases.
What is the most famous case of wrongful conviction?
The Central Park Five
The famous story of five juveniles wrongfully convicted of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable highlights many of the flaws in our justice system. Police officers coerced incriminating statements out of the boys who served between five and fifteen years for the crime.
What proof is needed to convict?
To secure a criminal conviction, the prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of criminal charges. In a criminal case, direct evidence is a powerful way for a defendant to be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
What is the #1 reason innocent people are wrongfully convicted?
Eyewitness misidentification is one of the most common factors in cases of wrongful conviction. Nationally, 28% of all exonerations involve mistaken eyewitness identification. Social science research demonstrates that human memory is highly imperfect and fragile.
Who is the oldest person in jail right now?
Francis Clifford Smith is currently the oldest living prisoner still in jail. Smith is serving a life sentence at the Osborn Correctional Institution for murdering a night watchman named Grover Hart on July 23, 1949. At the time, he was only 23 years old and he has been in prison for 71 years.
How much money do innocent prisoners get?
California Penal Code Section 4900 is the statute that grants relief to those who were erroneously convicted and imprisoned. A successful claim results in a recommendation to the Legislature to provide compensation in the amount of $140 per day of the claimant's wrongful imprisonment.
Who is the longest serving non-violent inmate in America?
Richard DeLisi is a 71 year old man serving a 90-year sentence in Florida at the South Bay Correctional Facility (SBCF) for marijuana. Richard has no history of violence and has been in prison since 1989 – 31 years.