Forensic Pathologist, Innocence Project Settle

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A forensic pathologist who sued the Innocence Project for defamation has accepted a $100,000 judgment to end the suit.

The Clarion-Ledger reports (http://on.thec-l.com/K4lnb8 ) that the Innocence Project said it agreed to the judgment because its insurance carrier wanted to settle. The group has helped free almost 300 wrongly convicted individuals through DNA testing, according to the newspaper. Under the settlement, the group admits no guilt.

Dr. Steven Hayne sued the Innocence Project after he was removed from Mississippi's designated list of pathologists in 2008 and after the Innocence Project accused him of sloppy work.

The Innocence Project filed a complaint with the state Board of Medical Licensure, calling on the board to strip Hayne's medical license because Hayne performed autopsies in overturned murder convictions.

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Information from: The Clarion-Ledger, http://www.clarionledger.com