district attorney who prosecuted duke lacrosse players

by Mr. Tyrique Pollich 6 min read

attorney Mike Nifong

What happened in the Duke lacrosse case?

Jun 17, 2007 · RALEIGH, N.C. – District Attorney Mike Nifong was disbarred Saturday for his "selfish" rape prosecution of three Duke University lacrosse players — a politically motivated act, his judges said ...

What was the Duke lacrosse scandal?

Mar 29, 2014 · The disbarred former Durham district attorney who prosecuted three Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape breaks his silence about the case that exploded eight years ago.

What happened to the Duke lacrosse coach?

Who is Duke lacrosse?

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What happened to girl who accused Duke lacrosse players?

All charges against the players were eventually dropped. Mangum lives on in the public consciousness as one of America's most infamous rape accusers. She is aware of this even though she's currently serving a minimum 14 year, 2 month prison sentence for second-degree murder in an unrelated case.Mar 10, 2016

Where is Collin Finnerty today?

Today, he works as a law clerk at the U.S. District Court in New Jersey. Finnerty also left Duke as a sophomore, and finished his degree at Loyola College in Maryland. Today, he works as an analyst at Deutsche Bank.May 29, 2014

How much did Duke lacrosse players settle for?

The Duke Lacrosse team house. From Raleigh News & Observer/Tribune News Service/Getty Images. In the end, there was no trial—a fact that most people forget. The three players received $20 million each in a settlement with Duke.Mar 10, 2016

Did Mike Nifong lose law license?

After 15 months of waging war in the Duke lacrosse case, Durham County District Attorney Michael B. Nifong surrendered his law license yesterday. Nifong gave up minutes after a state panel ruled that he had intentionally and repeatedly lied and cheated as he prosecuted three former lacrosse players on rape charges.

Did the Duke Lacrosse players sue?

Three Duke University lacrosse players and the City of Durham settled a long-running lawsuit Friday, closing another chapter in a case that exposed flaws in the Durham justice system and ended a district attorney's legal career.May 16, 2014

What happened Cullen Finnerty?

An autopsy, released in August 2013, showed Finnerty died of pneumonia brought on by inhalation of vomit after he became disoriented.

How long did Crystal Mangum get?

Crystal MangumCriminal chargeMurder (second degree)Penalty14–18 yearsDetailsVictimsReginald Daye8 more rows

What happened to Duke lacrosse case?

Duke University officials suspend the men's lacrosse team for two games following allegations that team members sexually assaulted a stripper hired to perform at a party. Three players were later charged with rape. The case became a national scandal, impacted by issues of race, politics and class.

What happened to the Duke lacrosse coach?

He was fired in 2006 in the wake of allegations of rape against three athletes in the program that proved to be baseless. Pressler's firing was publicly portrayed by Duke as a resignation, which gave rise to the implication that the coach resigned due to the students' presumed guilt.

What happened to the Duke lacrosse players?

Players' attorneys announced that DNA testing by the North Carolina state crime lab had failed to connect any members of the Duke men's lacrosse team to the alleged rape. Seligmann and Finnerty were arrested and indicted on April 18 on charges of first degree forcible rape, first degree sexual offense and kidnapping.

What types of prosecutorial misconduct took place in the Duke lacrosse case?

The case, which involved false rape charges against three Duke University lacrosse players, began with gang rape allegations by an exotic dancer at a team party in March 2006 and ended with the declaration of their innocence in April 2007 and the disbarment of Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong in June of that ...

What was Mike Nifong running for?

Nifong was running for office for the first time, since the previous district attorney who stepped down appointed him to the post.Nov 7, 2006

Why was Nifong in jail?

On September 7, 2007, after having already been disbarred, Nifong reported to the Durham County jail to serve a one-day jail sentence for contempt of court. He was held alone in a cell for his protection.

How many interviews did Nifong give?

Nifong gave more than 50 interviews, many with the national media, according to his own account and confirmed by the News & Observer. In these interviews, Nifong repeatedly said that he was "confident that a rape occurred", calling the players "a bunch of hooligans" whose "daddies could buy them expensive lawyers.".

Where did Nifong go to high school?

Nifong was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, and attended New Hanover High School . He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in 1971 with a degree in political science. He registered as a conscientious objector and participated in anti-war protests during the Vietnam War. After working as a teacher and social worker, Nifong returned to UNC in 1975 and earned a J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1978. He was admitted to the North Carolina bar.

Who is Nifong's second wife?

Nifong is twice married, his second wife is Cy Gurney, regional administrator of North Carolina Guardian ad Litem. He has a daughter from his first marriage and a son with Gurney. He lives in northern Durham County.

When was Nifong appointed?

He eventually worked his way up to chief assistant. After District Attorney Jim Hardin was appointed to a Superior Court vacancy in 2005, Governor Mike Easley appointed Nifong to fill out the remainder of Hardin's term. Nifong was sworn in on April 27, 2005.

When was Nifong disbarred?

On June 16, 2007, the North Carolina State Bar Disciplinary Committee unanimously voted to disbar Nifong after delivering a guilty verdict to 27 of 32 charges. The committee found Nifong's previous disciplinary record and acknowledgment of his improper pre-trial statements were substantially outweighed by (among other things) the players' vulnerability and his failure to acknowledge the "wrongful nature of (his) conduct with respect of the handling of DNA evidence."

When did Nifong file for bankruptcy?

On January 15, 2008, Nifong filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. He listed assets of almost $244,000 and liabilities of over $180.3 million, virtually all of which derived from six $30 million "unsecured nonpriority claims", one for each of the six members of the 2005–06 Duke lacrosse team suing Nifong, among others.

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Overview

Michael Byron Nifong (born September 14, 1950) is an American former North Carolina attorney, who has been disbarred. He served as the district attorney for Durham County, North Carolina until he was removed, disbarred and jailed following court findings concerning his conduct in the Duke lacrosse case, primarily his conspiring with the DNA lab director to withhold exculpatory DNA evidence that could have acquitted the defendants.

Early life

Nifong was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, and attended New Hanover High School. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in 1971 with a degree in political science. He registered as a conscientious objector and participated in anti-war protests during the Vietnam War. After working as a teacher and social worker, Nifong returned to UNC in 1975 and earned a J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina School of Lawin 1978…

Career

After spending a year as a per diem assistant with the Durham County District Attorney's office, Nifong was hired on a full-time basis in 1979. He eventually worked his way up to chief assistant. After District Attorney Jim Hardin was appointed to a Superior Court vacancy in 2005, Governor Mike Easley appointed Nifong to fill out the remainder of Hardin's term. Nifong was sworn in on April 27, 2005. As the Duke lacrosse case unfolded, Nifong won the Democratic primaryon May 2, …

Duke lacrosse case

In 2006, Nifong pursued rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping charges against Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty, and David Evans, three white members of the Duke University men's lacrosse team. The accusation of sexual assault was made by Crystal Mangum, one of two local black woman who the lacrosse team hired to work as strippers at a party. The case attracted national and international media attention. Former New York Times public editor Daniel Okrentwrote, "It [the ca…

Ethics charges

On December 28, 2006, the North Carolina State Bar filed ethics charges against Nifong over his conduct in the case, accusing him of making public statements that were "prejudicial to the administration of justice" and of engaging in "conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation." The seventeen-page document accuses Nifong of violating four rules of professional conduct, listing more than fifty examples of statements he made to the media.

Disbarment

On June 16, 2007, the North Carolina State Bar Disciplinary Committee unanimously voted to disbar Nifong after delivering a guilty verdict to 27 of 32 charges. The committee found Nifong's previous disciplinary record and acknowledgment of his improper pre-trial statements were substantially outweighed by (among other things) the players' vulnerability and his failure to acknowledge the "wrongful nature of (his) conduct with respect of the handling of DNA evidence."

Sentence and jail

On September 7, 2007, after having already been disbarred, Nifong reported to the Durham County jail to serve a one-day jail sentence for contempt of court. He was held alone in a cell for his protection.

Sued by players

On October 5, 2007, Evans, Finnerty, and Seligmann filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Nifong engineered a wide-ranging conspiracy to frame the players. Also named in the suit were the lab that handled the DNA work, the city of Durham, the city's former police chief, the deputy police chief, the two police detectives who handled the case and five other police department employees. The players sought unspecified damages, and wanted to place the Durham Police D…