NIU Law Receives $10,000 Donation for its Innocence Project
August 02, 2006
Grateful for the pro bono legal services provided to him by several Northern Illinois University College of Law graduates, LaFonso Rollins has returned the favor with a gift of $10,000 to benefit the law school's Innocence Project. Represented by NIU Law alumni and prominent Chicago attorneys Robert W. Fioretti ('78), John B. Lower ('81) and Lonny Ben Ogus ('78), Rollins and his lead counsel made headlines earlier this year after winning a $9 million settlement from the City of Chicago for violating Rollins' civil rights. According to Fioretti, this was the largest settlement by the city for false arrest. During a recent meeting held with Rollins, his attorneys, and NIU Law Dean LeRoy Pernell, Rollins presented the $10,000 check to Dean Pernell. Accepting the donation on behalf of the NIU Law Innocence Project, Dean Pernell said, "There is no cause more just than vindicating the rights of the innocent but wrongfully convicted in our criminal justice system. This generous gift will be used to both encourage and train our students to make a meaningful difference on behalf of the innocent."
Rollins, at the age of 17, began serving a 75-year prison sentence after he was wrongfully convicted of rape in 1994. He was exonerated in 2005 when post-conviction DNA testing proved his innocence. The exoneration also opened an investigation into the detectives and crime lab analysts who handled the case.
"For 11-and-a-half years, LaFonso held onto a thread of hope. Wrongfully convicted, he knew that the path to proving his innocence was full of roadblocks. This gift will help others on the same journey," Fioretti explained.
Prior to the civil suit, Lower, as counsel of record, filed and won Rollins an award of $144,000 from the state of Illinois for unlawful imprisonment. Fioretti & Lower, Ltd. also filed and secured a Governor's Pardon due to actual innocence. Also assisting with the case were NIU Law alumnus Edward Campbell ('03), an associate at the firm, and Michael Wong ('06), who served as the law clerk.
The Innocence Project is a student-run program that raises public awareness about issues in the criminal justice system, with particular focus on wrongful convictions. In addition to educating the public, programs at law schools across the nation have resulted in overturning 181 convictions. At NIU Law, the Innocence Project invites speakers, such as Rollins, to share their personal experiences fighting such injustices.
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The only public law school in the greater Chicago area, NIU Law has previously been ranked first in the nation for government placement, according to U.S. News and World Report. Nearly one-third of its graduates choose a career in public interest, including more than 50 alumni in the judiciary -- a remarkable accomplishment for a law school with less than 3,000 graduates. In honor of its commitment to public service, NIU Law received the 2001 Excellence in Pro Bono and Public Interest Service Award
For more information, contact:
Melody Mitchell
Director, Alumni Events & Public Relations
815/753-9655l