Fred Weichel lawsuit against Braintree settled. How much he got in wrongful arrest suit
BRAINTREE ‒ The town of Braintree has reached $14.9 million settlement with Frederick Weichel, according to a press release issued by the office of Mayor Erin Joyce.
Weichel spent 36 years in prison for the murder of Robert LaMonica before he was exonerated and released in 2017. He sued Braintree in 2020, claiming the town law enforcement were responsible for his wrongful arrest, imprisonment and conviction.
Weichel separately sued the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He prevailed in that case in 2022. A jury awarded Weichel $33 million, but he only received $1 million due to law shielding the state from liability beyond that amount.
Braintree has no such liability protection, the press release said, citing this as a factor in settlement negotiations. “Braintree faced greater monetary exposure because of the uncapped liability and recent trends of large jury awards in similar case tried against municipalities.”
Braintree agreed to pay $14.9 million to Frederick Weichel, who was wrongfully convicted for the 1980 murder of Robert LaMonica and spent 36 years in prison.
Braintree’s recent financial troubles, including layoffs and a Proposition 2 1/2 override, were also cited in the press release as reasons not to risk potentially greater damages resulting from a jury trial.
Joyce made the following statement:
“There are no winners with this case. Mr. Weichel spent 36 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He missed out on the opportunity to have a family, to travel, or to enjoy all the normal experiences of life we take for granted.
“… To control the impact on our financial stability going forward, we are aggressively pursuing insurance coverage collections with the help of our legal team, and we anticipate recovering a meaningful portion of this settlement.”
Braintree’s Town Council President Charles Ryan said he and Joyce will advocate for legislative reforms to give municipalities the same protections enjoyed by the state, the press release says.
More: DA won’t seek second trial in 1980 Braintree murder
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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Fred Weichel wins multimillion dollar settlement from Braintree
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