Off-Message, But Needs Noting

The below is well off-message for this blog, but it's something we've been following with mounting horror and rage almost from the very beginning, and have been astonished this didn't happened sooner as the entire squalid and terrifying business is quite literally "one of the most chilling episodes of premeditated police, prosecutorial and scientific misconduct in modern American history."

Three former Duke lacrosse players falsely accused of rape filed a sweeping federal lawsuit Friday that could return the sensational case to a courtroom, suing disgraced prosecutor Mike Nifong, the city of Durham and the police detectives who handled the investigation.

The lawsuit calls the criminal case against Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans "one of the most chilling episodes of premeditated police, prosecutorial and scientific misconduct in modern American history."

It seeks unspecified damages and numerous reforms to the way the Durham Police Department handles criminal investigations -- including the appointment of a monitor who would have the power to hire, fire and promote department employees, including the chief, for 10 years.

The suit was filed about a month after city officials met with lawyers for the families seeking a $30 million settlement and several legal reforms, two people close to the case have told The Associated Press.

Apparently unable, or unwilling, to reach a deal with the families, the city pledged Friday to defend itself and its employees, but not Nifong — who held a state office — or the private DNA testing lab he hired.

The monetary award that will almost surely be granted the three plaintiffs, no matter how high, cannot be nearly high enough to fully compensate these three victims for all they were put through and will have to live with the rest of their lives.

And the granting of that award should not be the end of this matter. What's further required is the bringing of criminal (not civil) charges against (former) prosecutor Mike Nifong. That cretin needs to be put behind bars for a meaningful length of time — preferably for the rest of his life.

RTWT here.