A man wrongly convicted of murder may receive more than $6 million from the city of Milwaukee.
Chaunte Ott was sent to prison in 1996 after being convicted of killing a teenage girl. He was released in 2009, after DNA evidence showed a serial killer had committed the crime. Ott then sued the city of Milwaukee, claiming police detectives had pressured witnesses into providing false testimony. The Milwaukee city attorney is proposing a $6.5 million settlement with Ott.
Ott’s lawyer, Jon Loevy said if the case had gone to trial, Ott would have asked for much more money.
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“At least twice that amount,” Loevy said. “Chaunte was deprived of 13 years of his life. All of his 20s and half of his 30s.”
The Milwaukee Common Council still has to okay the proposed settlement. The city denies any wrongdoing.
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