Philadelphia man cleared after 37 years in prison, sues city

By MARYCLAIRE DALE

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia man who served 37 years in prison was cleared Thursday in a 1980 murder case tainted by perjured testimony and promptly sued the city over his conviction.

Willie Stokes left prison this month after a federal judge overturned his conviction. At a court hearing Thursday, city prosecutors said they would not retry him.

Stokes' lawyers say that prosecutors at the time never disclosed they had charged his chief accuser with perjury after the trial.

The 60-year-old Stokes says he is not bitter and is ‘just excited to move forward’ with his life.