Nifong Seeks Legal Fees in Civil Suit re Rape
Mike Nifong, the disgraced former prosecutor who is now being sued for pursuing rape charges against three former Duke lacrosse team players, has asked North Carolina to help him with his legal defense.
Because the civil litigation by the exonerated defendants arose out of his work as Durham County prosecutor, the state should either provide him with counsel or pay attorney fees for private counsel, Nifong says in a letter to the Administrative Office of the Courts. It referred the matter to the state attorney general, who declared the three accused players to be factually innocent at a press conference earlier this year, notes the Associated Press.
Disbarred as a result of his work on the case, Nifong is one of some 17 defendants now being sued civilly by the exonerated former Duke lacrosse players, says a local ABC News station, on its Web site. It says Nifong is represented by James Craven, a Durham lawyer.
