Ryan Ferguson Awarded $38 Million in Damages for Wrongful Conviction

Ryan Ferguson, a Missouri man who was wrongfully convicted of murder, has been awarded nearly $38 million in damages by a jury. This verdict comes after a lengthy legal battle against Travelers Insurance, which had failed to pay Ferguson the settlement he was owed for his wrongful conviction.

Ferguson was convicted at the age of 19 for the murder of Kent Heitholt, a sports editor at the Columbia Daily Tribune, who was found beaten and strangled in the parking lot of his office in 2001. Ferguson spent 10 years in prison before his conviction was overturned in 2013 due to prosecutors withholding evidence and allegations of evidence manipulation by police officers.

The conviction was based largely on the testimony of Charles Erickson, who later admitted to lying under oath. Erickson had confessed to the crime despite having no memory of the night and implicated Ferguson, who maintained his innocence throughout his imprisonment.

After his release, Ferguson sued the City of Columbia, police, and prosecutors in 2017 and was awarded $11 million in a civil suit. However, Travelers Insurance, which covered the city during the relevant period, failed to pay the full amount, leading to further legal action. The recent jury verdict includes $2.9 million in damages and $35 million in punitive damages.

Kathleen Zellner, Ferguson’s attorney, highlighted the significance of the verdict, stating that it will have a widespread impact on wrongful conviction cases across the country, particularly when insurers refuse to participate in settlement negotiations or pay their share of the verdict immediately. Ferguson will receive 86% of the verdict, while six police officers involved in the case will receive the remaining 14%.