A tentative settlement has been reached in a portion of a federal civil rights suit Ryan Ferguson filed against local officials after his conviction in a 2001 killing was thrown out.
Parties in the case held a telephone conference May 19 in which U.S. District Judge Judge Nanette Laughrey was told of the pending settlement on the liability portion of the case. A bench trial is scheduled for June 26 in Jefferson City on damages. According to the docket entry in online court records, the bench trial is expected to begin at noon and last no more than four hours.
Details of the settlement have not been made public. A settlement typically does not include any admission of guilt or liability.
The suit was filed in early 2014 and originally included the city of Columbia; Boone County; circuit Judge Kevin Crane, who prosecuted Ferguson; several police officers; and other investigators who worked on the case. All defendants except for retired Columbia Police Department officers Bryan Liebhart, Jeff Nichols, Jeff Westbrook, John Short and Lloyd Simons and current Officer Latisha Stroer have since been dismissed. Read more >>