Board approves settlement for man exonerated after decades in prison
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Summary
Baltimore City approved a settlement resolving litigation brought by Gary Washington, who was convicted in 1987 and later exonerated after a witness recanted. City officials cited litigation risk and ages of witnesses in negotiating a settlement they said balanced fiscal and moral considerations.
The Board of Estimates approved a settlement and release on Jan. 7 to resolve litigation brought by Gary Washington, who was convicted in 1987 in a shooting case and later released after a writ of actual innocence. Chief Solicitor Justin Conroy told the board the city had defended the suit vigorously, won on summary judgment at one stage, and then faced a Fourth Circuit remand that left the law department concerned about trial risks given witness issues and the passage of time.
Conroy recounted that the sole eyewitness at trial, a 12-year-old at the time, later recanted and alleged officers pressured the witness; that recantation helped secure a 2018 writ granting actual innocence and the plaintiff's release after decades behind bars. The law department said it negotiated a settlement it considered the best resolution at the pretrial stage.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott and other board members framed the settlement in the context of ongoing police reforms under a federal consent decree and said the case underscored the importance of reforms in hiring, training and oversight. The board voted to approve the settlement.