Wrongfully Convicted Man Awarded $25 Million in Historic Settlement

The city of Concord and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation acknowledge responsibility for Ronnie Long's wrongful conviction and imprisonment.

Ronnie Long, a Black man from North Carolina who was wrongfully convicted of rape and spent 44 years in prison, has been awarded a $25 million settlement.
The settlement includes $22 million from the city of Concord and $3 million from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
The settlement is the second-largest wrongful conviction settlement on record and the largest in North Carolina history.
The city of Concord issued a public apology, acknowledging and accepting responsibility for the significant errors in judgment and willful misconduct that led to Long's wrongful conviction and imprisonment.
Long's conviction was overturned in August 2020, and he was released from prison later that month.