Man Awarded $21 Million for Wrongful Imprisonment for Murder

Chicago, IL: A man who spent nearly 12 years in prison, after being convicted for a murder at the age of 21, has been awarded $21 million in compensatory damages.

Juan Johnson was convicted in 1991 for a fatal beating outside a nightclub. He claimed that a police detective coerced a fellow gang member to name Johnson for the beating of a rival gang member. A state appeals court reversed his conviction, a new trial was held and he was acquitted. The jury also determined that the police detective involved must pay $15,000 in punitive damages.