Duke lax and accusations

[sandgk]

One last image joke which comes via dbablogspot
(he had run with the Nifong is wrong theme almost from the get-go) the cartoon comes in his relaying of reports that the lax players mothers are mightily [censored]ed at Nifong.

[Wingate1217]

Once again....what goes around comes around.....

N.C. Panel Disbars Duke Prosecutor



N.C. Panel Disbars Duke ProsecutorJun 16 07:06 PM US/Eastern
By AARON BEARD
Associated Press Writertry { insert_digg_btn('world_news'); } catch(e){}

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - District Attorney Mike Nifong will be disbarred for his disastrous prosecution of three Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape, a disciplinary committee decided Saturday. Even the veteran prosecutor said the punishment was appropriate. "This matter has been a fiasco. There's no doubt about it," said committee chairman F. Lane Williamson. Nifong sat motionless, one hand resting over his mouth, as Williamson recounted how he engaged in dishonest and deceitful conduct. He said Nifong's early comments about the case?which included a confident proclamation that he wouldn't allow Durham to become known for "a bunch of lacrosse players from Duke raping a black girl"?were purposefully designed to boost his campaign for district attorney

[Steve19]

The sad thing is that the Duke lacrosse coach and players and their families have not received any justice due to this decision. In an attempt to be elected, this idiot ruined their lives.

The North Carolina papers are treating this as a story about an ambitious and naive prosecutor overstepping the lines. How far he stepped over that line is evident in the lack of reports about the lax players being from rich familes and etc. I expected to see that and am pleasantly surprised that I haven't (as all of the players weren't from rich families and it isn't relevant to the discussion anyway).

Papers and local TV news are reporting that the families say that they are anything but finished with NIfong. It appears that they will now sue him in his personal capacity. I hope they have luck.

As an aside, this is a good thing for the American justice system. There aren't many countries in the world where this kind of result could have been anticipated or even pursued. The fact that a prosecutor is called to book says something about the country, something good.

[wadc45]

Nifong Offers Apology to Former Lacrosse Players :: WRAL.com

Posted: Today at 9:43 a.m.
Updated: 25 minutes ago

Durham - Following an apology from Mike Nifong to the three cleared Duke University lacrosse players, defense attorneys in the case withdrew their motion for criminal sanctions against the former district attorney. But they moved forward with a preliminary hearing on whether he should face criminal contempt charges.

Continued...

[sandgk]

Duke LAX Seek $30 Million - Reforms

Duke Players Expected to Seek Reforms


Friday September 7, 2007 1:01 PM

By MARTHA WAGGONER
Associated Press Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The three Duke lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape are seeking a $30 million settlement and reforms in the legal process, a person close to the case said Friday, the same day the case prosecutor was due to start his 24-hour jail sentence.
Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong won indictments against the three young men last year after a woman hired to strip at a lacrosse team party claimed she was raped. The charges were eventually thrown out by state prosecutors, who declared the players innocent victims of a ``tragic rush to accuse.''
Nifong was disbarred for more than two dozen violations of the state's rules of professional conduct. A judge also found him in contempt and sentenced him to a day in jail for lying to the court when he insisted he had given defense attorneys all results from critical DNA tests.
The former prosecutor was due to start serving that sentence at 9 a.m. Friday.
The players attorneys, meanwhile, have proposed a settlement with the city of Durham that includes reforming the legal system. If the terms aren't met, the attorneys will file a civil rights lawsuit early next month, the person close to the case said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the proposed settlement wasn't complete.

LAX Players Attorney want the money, but only if it accompanied by reforms to the legal system to protect against prosecutorial misconduct.

The attorneys are seeking the creation of ombudsman positions to review complaints of misconduct about North Carolina district attorneys, and they want Durham city officials to lead the lobbying for any legal changes that would require action by the state's General Assembly, the person said.

[methomps]

Mike Nifong Bankrupt - Januaary 15, 2008

Disgraced and disbarred, Mike Nifong is now bankrupt. The former North Carolina prosecutor, whose career imploded with his botched handling of the Duke University rape case, today filed for bankruptcy, listing liabilities in excess of $180 million. A summary schedule from Nifong's Chapter 7 petition can be found below. Almost all of that sum represents legal claims filed against the former Durham County district attorney by members of Duke's 2006 lacrosse team, including the three players who were accused of raping a stripper at a team party.

Bloomberg.com: North American

``This looks like a smart move for Mr. Nifong,'' said Charles Tatelbaum, a Florida lawyer who has represented doctors who filed for bankruptcy to shield themselves from lawsuits. ``This stops all the cases against him so he doesn't have to pay legal fees if he doesn't have insurance.''