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| Innocent ex-inmate will settle Ohio suit |
| By The Beacon Journal (OH) |
| Published: 09/29/2003 |
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A wrongfully convicted inmate, Jimmy ``Spunk'' Williams, has agreed to accept a record $750,000 settlement with Ohio for his 10 years in prison. In addition, the state agreed Monday to pay another $84,583 in fees to two attorneys who helped negotiate the settlement. The agreement with the attorney general, however, doesn't guarantee Williams money immediately. The man who won his freedom almost three years ago must now await approval by the Ohio Court of Claims and the state controlling board, which could delay his payday an additional four weeks, attorney general spokeswoman Kim Norris said. And it might take even longer for Williams, 32, to be paid in full. A Summit County judge has ordered the state to place the settlement in escrow until Williams resolves a lawsuit brought against him last summer by his former lawyer who helped win his release from prison in February 2001. Stow attorney Tom Watkins filed a lawsuit against Williams in August, demanding 25 percent of the settlement for attorney fees related to their civil action that determined the Akron man was wrongly imprisoned. The 25 percent fee could amount to as much as $187,500 of Williams' settlement. Williams fired Watkins in May after rejecting what would have been a record $538,000 settlement. He then retained Akron attorney Edward Gilbert, who negotiated the $750,000 settlement. Watkins said he expects the money squabble with Williams to eventually go to trial. The $750,000 settlement is the highest award ever given by the state to a wrongfully imprisoned inmate. However, a Cleveland man released after 13 years in prison for a rape he did not commit is expected to eclipse that amount once his claim is settled. |
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