State Compensation And Federal Civil-Rights Claims Are Not The Same Case
If your conviction was vacated, reversed, dismissed, or tied to newly discovered evidence, the first job is to separate the Michigan WICA compensation track from any federal civil-rights claim.
Michigan’s Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act (WICA) provides $50,000 per year of qualifying imprisonment, prorated by day, for people who meet its requirements. An overturned conviction alone is not enough. MCL 691.1755 requires time served in a Michigan state correctional facility, a reversed or vacated conviction with dismissal or acquittal, and new evidence proving innocence by clear and convincing evidence.
A qualifying claimant may seek $50,000 for each year actually incarcerated in a Michigan state correctional facility, prorated by day. Eligibility also requires the statutory case posture, new evidence, and clear-and-convincing proof that the claimant did not commit the crime.
A federal case targets constitutional misconduct by viable defendants, such as fabricated evidence, Brady suppression, coerced confession, or malicious prosecution.
A separate federal civil-rights lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 can involve different or broader damages when constitutional misconduct by viable defendants caused the conviction, but WICA release, setoff, and reimbursement rules require coordinated review.
It costs nothing to find out where you stand.
Treating both paths as one case creates bad strategy. We first identify the track, then the proof, defendants, and timing.
We review the conviction, imprisonment, whether the conviction was vacated or reversed, whether charges were dismissed or ended in acquittal, new evidence, innocence proof, and offsets.
We look for state-actor misconduct that caused the conviction and can survive immunity, accrual, causation, and damages defenses.
Wrongful imprisonment can destroy wages, family life, health, reputation, housing, supervision status, and future earning capacity.
Wrongful conviction civil-rights cases require police files, discovery, depositions, expert review, and a theory built for litigation.
The conviction and sentence, any order setting aside or reversing the conviction, dismissal or retrial results, appeals, habeas proceedings, and conviction-integrity review.
WICA eligibility, years served, qualifying imprisonment, new evidence, innocence proof, offsets, and release issues.
Brady material, fabricated evidence, coerced statements, identification issues, lab records, and tunnel-vision investigation proof.
Section 1983 defendants, immunity, Monell, causation, damages, accrual, and litigation readiness.
The cases. The work.
The difference it made.
$485K
Appeal win
The appellate ruling allowed Ehsan Ouza’s claims to move forward, including a claim that the city failed to train or supervise its officers.
Court win
The Sixth Circuit dismissed the officers’ immediate appeal, leaving the family’s district court victory in place. Damages and other issues still required further proceedings.
In their own words. Read what clients and families say about working with our team.
This firm went above and beyond to help me get closure, and the ability to move on from a terrible interaction with the Detroit police. I would highly recommend them to anyone who needs a civil rights lawyer.
I hired mr trainor for civil right issue and I was impressed by his humbling performance and professionalism
Sean Cabot went above and beyond for me during trial in a federal court. He was going against Warren, Michigan officers and two defense attorneys.
The Official Record Is Not The Whole Story.
Independent proof, complete records, and the right legal path can matter more than the first official account. We preserve the evidence and build the case from the facts.
Use this quick screen before compensation, civil-rights, evidence, or limitation issues are assumed. No sign-up and no dollar estimate. Your answers are only included if you submit the free case review below. The result is general information, not legal advice.
Question 1 of 5
Tell us about the conviction, sentence, time served, and any order setting aside the conviction, dismissal, or retrial result. Share any evidence of misconduct you have. We will explain which records are needed to assess your options.
The detailed legal material explains the eligibility, evidence, defendants, and timing questions that need review before a claim path is chosen.
A federal case is not about the conviction being unfair in a general sense. It is about proving a constitutional violation by viable defendants.
Exculpatory or impeachment evidence was withheld from the defense and would have mattered to the prosecution or trial.
False reports, witness pressure, altered statements, misleading lab work, or invented facts drove the charge or conviction.
Interrogation tactics, mental-health issues, age, threats, promises, or exhaustion made a false statement look like proof.
Lineup, photo-array, witness-pressure, or forensic issues may have caused false identification or unreliable evidence.
A policy or custom can support Monell liability. An omission theory such as training, supervision, or discipline generally also requires deliberate indifference, causation, and ordinarily a pattern of similar violations.
Prison time, parole, supervision, lost earnings, trauma, reputation harm, family disruption, and reentry losses need documentation.
Michigan wrongful conviction cases can involve WICA state compensation and separate federal Section 1983 accountability. The tracks use different defendants, proof, damages, defenses, and timing rules.
MCL 691.1755 allows $50,000 for each year actually incarcerated in prison, prorated by day, when statutory requirements are met. Jail time, parole, and supervision do not themselves create the statutory per-year prison-incarceration award.
MCL 691.1757 generally provides a three-year filing period after the qualifying result, subject to statutory tolling for a state challenge or appeal. Acceptance of a WICA award can carry release consequences, and other wrongful-conviction damages can create setoff or reimbursement issues.
42 U.S.C. Section 1983 may apply when officers, municipalities, or other viable defendants caused the conviction through constitutional misconduct.
Suppressed exculpatory evidence, hidden impeachment material, false reports, manipulated witnesses, altered statements, or knowingly misleading evidence can matter.
False confessions, suggestive identifications, flawed forensic methods, lab errors, and hidden impeachment material can affect liability and causation.
Advocacy functions are often protected by absolute immunity. Narrow investigative conduct and non-prosecutor defendants require separate legal review.
A city or county may be liable only when its policy or custom caused the violation. Training, supervision, or discipline omissions generally require deliberate indifference, causation, and ordinarily a pattern of similar violations. The status and outcome of the criminal case affect when the civil claim’s filing clock begins and whether Heck limits the claim. These questions need individual review.
The order may open a door, but the damages case depends on reconstructing the investigation and proving why the conviction happened.
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