Tulsa may pay more than $1 million in settlement

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – The city of Tulsa could pay more than $1 million to settle a federal lawsuit brought by a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years.

Sedrick Courtney filed a federal suit against the city last year, alleging authorities used manufactured evidence to convict him of robbery and burglary and then obstructed his exoneration efforts while in prison and on parole.

Courtney was cleared of wrongdoing based on newly discovered DNA evidence. He was convicted of robbery in 1996 and sentenced to 60 years in prison. He was paroled in 2011.

City officials will meet Tuesday with a federal judge to discuss the case.

The federal suit doesn’t specify how much Courtney is seeking, but a city official told the Tulsa World the amount is more than $1 million.