Man cleared of rape settles $2M lawsuit

By Associated Press

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. - A man who was cleared by DNA evidence after serving 10 years in prison for a rape he did not commit has settled his lawsuit against the city for $2 million.

Eric Sarsfield, 42, of Clinton, sought at least $10 million in damages in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed against the city and several police officers.

"It has been 20 years of my life," Sarsfield said. "At least I don't have to worry about it anymore, and I can put it behind me now."

In a special meeting earlier this week, the city council transferred money from the city's stabilization and health insurance funds to cover the settlement.

City attorney James Agoritsas said any award against the city in the tens of millions of dollars would have rendered the city bankrupt.

"We're very mindful of the pain and trauma Mr. Sarsfield went through," Agoritsas said. "However, we are of the opinion that our police officers involved in this case did nothing wrong."

Sarsfield's lawsuit already has cost the city about $400,000, and Agoritsas estimated an additional $500,000 in legal costs if the case went to trial.

Under the settlement, the city also assigned rights to Sarsfield to pursue legal action against insurance companies the city contracted after he was prosecuted. The insurance companies have denied the city had coverage for the lawsuit.

Sarsfield was paroled in 1999, and the next year, DNA tests cleared him and the conviction was vacated. Last year, the state awarded Sarsfield $500,000 under a new law to compensate people imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.