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City agrees to $375,000 settlement in wrongful-incarceration suit by David Morris
Summary
Baltimore’s law department told the Board of Estimates it reached a $375,000 settlement with David Morris, who was exonerated after new DNA testing and a writ of actual innocence; the settlement resolves claims arising from his 2004 arrest and subsequent incarceration.
Deputy City Solicitor Steven Salisbury told the Board of Estimates the city and Baltimore Police Department reached a settlement of $375,000 with David Morris, who was released after a court granted a writ of actual innocence following additional DNA testing.
The nut graf: Morris was arrested in December 2004 and convicted in August 2005; in 2019 the state submitted DNA for further testing, prosecutors later conceded they had failed to disclose exculpatory evidence about an alternative suspect, and a court granted a writ of actual innocence in 2021. Morris received an award from the state under the Lomax Act for a portion of his wrongful incarceration; the city’s settlement resolves his additional claims for pretrial time.
Salisbury summarized the timeline for the board and said the police department and city reached the $375,000 settlement to avoid further litigation costs and exposure. "To resolve this case and to avoid the expense and further exposure at trial, the police department and the city have agreed to the amount, to a settlement in the amount of $375,000," Salisbury said.
Board members asked whether the case related to other past police scandals; Salisbury said he was not aware of a connection and that the issues before the court related primarily to prosecutorial disclosure of evidence. The board approved the settlement by motion; the clerk recorded the item as approved.
