Current:Home > InvestInsurer to pay nearly $5M to 3 of the 4 Alaska men whose convictions in a 1997 killing were vacated-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Insurer to pay nearly $5M to 3 of the 4 Alaska men whose convictions in a 1997 killing were vacated
View Date:2024-12-23 19:31:24
Three of the four Indigenous men who served 18 years in prison for a murder conviction that was ultimately vacated will receive a total of nearly $5 million in a settlement confirmed by the city of Fairbanks on Monday.
The convictions of the so-called Fairbanks Four in the 1997 death of Fairbanks teenager John Hartman were vacated in 2015 after a key state witness recanted testimony and following a weeks-long hearing reexamining the case that raised the possibility others had killed Hartman.
The men — George Frese, Eugene Vent, Marvin Roberts and Kevin Pease — argued that an agreement that led to their release in which they agreed not to sue was not legally binding because they were coerced. The men also maintained there was a history of discrimination against Alaska Natives by local police. Pease is Native American; Frese, Vent and Roberts are Athabascan Alaska Natives.
The legal fight over whether the men could sue the city despite the agreement has gone on for years. In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the case after a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in their favor.
Pease, Frese and Vent will each receive $1.59 million from the city’s insurer, according to a statement provided by Fairbanks city attorney Tom Chard. Roberts declined a settlement offer and his case is still pending, the statement said.
An attorney for Roberts did not immediately reply to an email sent Monday.
The city’s statement said the decision to settle was made by its insurer, Alaska Municipal League Joint Insurance Association. The association’s executive director did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
The statement said the settlement “is not an admission of liability or fault of any kind,” and the city declined further comment about it.
A federal judge in late September signed off on a request by the parties to have the case involving Pease, Frese and Vent dismissed. The settlement agreement was reported last week by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
Thomas Wickwire, an attorney for Frese and Pease, declined comment on the matter, citing Roberts’ pending case.
Terms of the settlement with each of the three men included a “non-publicity” clause in which the men and their attorneys agreed to not make public statements about the case until claims by all the men are resolved.
A state court judge in 2015 approved terms of a settlement that threw out the convictions of the four men, who had maintained their innocence in Hartman’s death. Alaska Native leaders long advocated for the men’s release, calling their convictions racially motivated.
The Alaska attorney general’s office at the time said the settlement was “not an exoneration” and called it a compromise that “reflects the Attorney General’s recognition that if the defendants were retried today it is not clear under the current state of the evidence that they would be convicted.”
veryGood! (783)
Related
- He failed as a service dog. But that didn't stop him from joining the police force
- Christine Quinn's Husband Christian Dumontet Denies Assault While Detailing Fight That Led to 911 Call
- A giant ship. A power blackout. A scramble to stop traffic: How Baltimore bridge collapsed
- A shake, then 'there was nothing there': Nearby worker details Baltimore bridge collapse
- Caitlin Clark has one goal for her LPGA pro-am debut: Don't hit anyone with a golf ball
- Francis Scott Key Bridge reconstruction should be paid for by federal government, Biden says
- Supreme Court seems poised to reject abortion pill challenge after arguments over FDA actions
- Shakira to play New York pop-up show in Times Square. Here's what you need to know.
- New York races to revive Manhattan tolls intended to fight traffic before Trump can block them
- Christine Quinn's Husband Christian Dumontet Denies Assault While Detailing Fight That Led to 911 Call
Ranking
- Jon Gruden joins Barstool Sports three years after email scandal with NFL
- Los Angeles Rams signing cornerback Tre'Davious White, a two-time Pro Bowler
- Kansas moves to join Texas and other states in requiring porn sites to verify people’s ages
- Elle Fanning Debuts Her Most Dramatic Hair Transformation Yet
- Noem’s Cabinet appointment will make a plain-spoken rancher South Dakota’s new governor
- The Daily Money: Dollar Tree to charge up to $7
- Named for Star Spangled Banner author, the Francis Scott Key Bridge was part of Baltimore’s identity
- Oil and Gas Executives Blast ‘LNG Pause,’ Call Natural Gas a ‘Destination Fuel’
Recommendation
-
Jason Kelce collaborates with Stevie Nicks for Christmas duet: Hear the song
-
Children’s author Kouri Richins hit with new charges alleging earlier attempt to kill her husband
-
How to watch surprise 5th episode of 'Quiet on Set' featuring Drake Bell and other stars
-
2 brothers attacked by mountain lion in California 'driven by nature', family says
-
Michigan soldier’s daughter finally took a long look at his 250 WWII letters
-
Georgia senators again push conservative aims for schools
-
March Madness: TV ratings slightly up over last year despite Sunday’s blowouts
-
Here’s what we know about the allegations against Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara