Judge Dismisses Nifong From Duke Player's Civil Suit, For Now
A federal judge in North Carolina has kicked a disgraced former prosecutor from a lawsuit brought by three wrongly accused Duke lacrosse players.
U.S. District Judge James A. Beaty ordered that former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong be dropped from the litigation, at least until his bankruptcy proceedings are resolved, the News & Observer reports.
Nifong was disbarred for his conduct in a case in which Duke University lacrosse players were prosecuted on rape charges, but later completely exonerated.
Bankruptcy may not protect Nifong from financial claims if he is found to have “willfully and maliciously” injured the players in his prosecution of what turned out to be phony gang-rape allegations.
David Rudolf, an attorney for one of the players, is quoted saying that he and the other lawyers don’t intend to let Nifong hide in bankruptcy court. The N&O reports Rudolf said the legal team plans to argue that Nifong maliciously and intentionally went after the players long after he knew the charges were unwarranted.
