Federal Appeals Court upholds $28mil verdict in Nebraska Wrongful Conviction Case

June 11, 2018, 3:47 a.m. ·

A federal appeals court has upheld a 28 million dollar judgement awarded to six people in a wrongful conviction case that could push a southeast Nebraska county closer to bankruptcy.

The decision Monday, made by a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, affirmed a 2016 verdict against Gage County and two former law enforcement officials. According to the panel, there was no reason to overturn the jury’s previous verdict.

“I’m disappointed in the outcome and that Gage County still has a 28-million-dollar-plus judgement staring them in the face,” Gage County Board chairman Myron Dorn said.

Dorn said there are still a number of options for the county, including another appeal to the full appeals court as well as consulting with bankruptcy lawyers.