Kristin Lobato, who is now 41 and uses the name Blaise, cried and hugged her attorneys after a judge read the trial verdict Thursday in U.S. District Court, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The civil trial jury found Las Vegas police and two detectives, now retired, fabricated evidence during their investigation and intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon Lobato. The panel determined that Lobato should receive $34 million in compensatory damages from the department and $10,000 in punitive damages from each former detective.

She was exonerated and freed from prison in late 2017 after the Innocence Project and attorneys in Las Vegas again took her case to the state Supreme Court. Justices said evidence showed that Lobato was in her hometown of Panaca, Nevada, some 150 miles (214 kilometers) from Las Vegas when Bailey was killed.

  • RubberDuck@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    It’s high time police officers in the US are required to carry malpractice insurance. Uninsurable… no more police work.

  • leadore@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    A $10K fine? That’s it?

    If you deliberately fabricate evidence to put an innocent person in prison, you should at the very least lose your pension for the rest of your life. You should never get another dime and you should have to pay back what you’ve already received. You forfeited your right to it, period.

    • ME5SENGER_24@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      They should be jailed. Period. They committed a crime, tampered with evidence, obstructed a police investigation, falsely imprisoned someone and the list can go on and on.

      • leadore@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        Yes, they should. For as long as she was imprisoned for. I was just referring to the absurdity of them only having to pay $10K while they’re collecting a pension every month. And somehow I doubt they’ll even actually have to pay the 10K.

      • Miles O'Brien@startrek.website
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        5 days ago

        The sentence that was handed down based on the evidence should be served by the fabricators. And because punishment for the poors is extremely disproportionate (snatching $20 from a counter is not deserving of a year in prison) I say add 20% to the sentence, minimum.

        Make them serve 18 years, minimum. Of course, their choices are solitary for their protection or Gen-pop.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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    5 days ago

    … And the retired police officers went to jail for the same amount of years that she was judged for, right?

    Right?

    • TTH4P@lemm.ee
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      6 days ago

      Right? Cool, now are we going after the cops who fabricated? No? Oh ok.

      • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksOP
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        6 days ago

        The cops should be charged and sentenced to a gen pop institution for this.

        But instead abso-fucking-lutely nothing will happen to them.

  • Arghblarg@lemmy.ca
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    5 days ago

    Now retired huh?

    I can think of a good penalty… a number of years in prison equal to the years since they committed this crime. “Disgorgement” is a common legal mechanism, forcing convicted to give up their ill-gotten gains. In this case, time as free persons.