TUCSON, Ariz. — A Tucson man who spent decades behind bars but was later exonerated will not be able to collect damages for his time in prison.
The Daily Star reports the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of appeals issued the ruling Tuesday.
At 16 years old, Louis C. Taylor was convicted on 28 counts of arson-related murder and accused of starting the devastating 1970 Pioneer Hotel fire. The fire killed 28 people, and one died from injuries not long after.
In 1972, Taylor took a plea deal where he pleaded no contest to his charges, and, more recently, Taylor attempted to sue Pima County and the City of Tucson for damages and wrongful incarceration.
Lawyers have been working on Taylor's case for over a decade with attorneys that volunteered with the Arizona Justice Project and was featured in a "60 Minutes" episode in 2002.
