Man imprisoned 25 years settles wrongful conviction lawsuit
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A former minor league baseball player in West Virginia who spent more than 25 years in prison for a sexual assault conviction before his sentence was vacated has reached a $175,000 settlement with the city of Charleston.
News outlets report the city agreed to pay the amount to 52-year-old Jimmie Gardner, an ex-member of the Charleston Wheelers who filed a wrongful conviction lawsuit in the 1987 case.
A judge in 2016 overturned Gardner's convictions of sexual assault and burglary. The judge said the trial had been tainted by false testimony from then-state police forensic serologist Fred Zain, whose discredited work resulted in millions of dollars paid to wrongfully convicted defendants.
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Prosecutors later said they were dropping charges against Gardner because their case wasn't strong enough to present to a jury.