Bills advance to ensure exonerees can sue for compensation

Michigan lawmakers have advanced bills to ensure wrongfully convicted prisoners can sue for compensation after some exonerees' cases were dismissed due to a conflict over how long they had to file a claim. A 2016 law awards innocent inmates $50,000 for each year spent in a state prison. It gave those who had been exonerated before the act's effective date 18 months to sue. Several former prisoners, however, saw their claims tossed after the state Court of Claims - where such lawsuits must be brought - ruled that a separate law with a six-month window took precedence.á