In a groundbreaking development, Ronnie Long, a man who served 44 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, is set to receive a staggering $25 million in a wrongful conviction settlement. Duke Law School's Wrongful Conviction Clinic made the announcement, revealing that Long, an African American, had been wrongly accused of raping a 54-year-old white woman in 1976. Convicted by an all-white jury of rape and burglary, Long's case has become emblematic of the racial injustices prevalent in the American criminal justice system.

The civil lawsuit settlement, reached between Long and the city of Concord, as well as the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, marks the second-largest wrongful conviction settlement in history. The clinic's news release detailed that Long's conviction was overturned in 2020 after a series of post-trial disclosures unearthed a troubling pattern of deliberate police suppression of vital evidence. US Court of Appeals Judge Stephanie Thacker, in her decision, highlighted the deliberate withholding of semen samples and fingerprints from the crime scene that did not match Long.

The city of Concord acknowledged its responsibility for the grave errors in judgment and willful misconduct committed by previous city employees that led to Long's wrongful conviction and subsequent imprisonment. The city expressed remorse in a statement, admitting to the significant role it played in the injustice Long endured. The settlement includes $22 million from the city of Concord and an additional $3 million from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, which had previously been awarded to Long.

Long's wrongful incarceration lasted an unimaginable 44 years, 3 months, and 17 days, during which he missed out on pivotal moments in life. The clinic's supervising attorney, Jamie Lau, emphasized that no amount of money could ever truly compensate Long for the time he lost and the indifference displayed by numerous elected officials who fought to keep him behind bars, despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence. Lau noted the profound impact on Long's life, as he tragically lost both his parents while in prison and was unable to participate in birthdays, graduations, funerals, and other significant events that define a person's existence.

The settlement comes after Long was initially informed, upon his release from prison on August 27, 2020, that he would receive a compensation of $750,000, paid out at $50,000 annually, the maximum amount allowed under North Carolina law. This new settlement, however, provides a more substantial sum that recognizes the magnitude of the injustice Long endured.

CNN has reached out to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation for comment on the settlement. The case of Ronnie Long serves as a stark reminder of the flaws within the criminal justice system and the urgent need for reform to prevent such grave miscarriages of justice in the future.