A $3.5 million settlement has been reached in the Federal lawsuits of 87 people who had drug convictions vacated or charges dropped after Camden police officers involved in their arrests were linked to corruption which came to light after an FBI investigation in 2009.
Timothy Farrow represented Charles Cottle, who was unlawfully arrested on November 29, 2007, based upon evidence planted in the area where he was arrested. The Camden County Prosecutor vacated the conviction and Farrow’s client was released on January 6, 2010, after spending 769 days in jail. Farrow’s client’s settlement amount was based on the amount of time spent wrongfully incarcerated.
No amount of money will recover the more than two years Mr. Cottle spent in jail, but Farrow hopes this settlement will allow him to move on with his life. In addition, Farrow said that he hopes that this will allow all of the other plaintiffs, and the City of Camden itself, to move on to a new chapter.
To read more about the settlement, click the below link to the Philadelphia Inquirer story: