Heinlein Beeler Mingace & Heineman, P.C. is proud to announce that partner, Michael Heineman, obtained a Thirteen (13) Million Dollar verdict on November 19, 2024, in the Suffolk County Superior Court on behalf of our client, Michael Sullivan, who spent over 26 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. The Suffolk County jury deliberated for over 20 hours after a three-week trial before rendering its verdict. The verdict declared that Michael had proven that he was innocent of the crimes for which he had been convicted in 1987 and all associated felonies. The jury awarded Michael Four (4) Million Dollars for his loss of liberty and Nine (9) Million Dollars for his pain and suffering while imprisoned. The jury also found that the crime lab chemist, Robert Pino, testified falsely at the criminal trial in 1987 when he testified that blood was found on Michael Sullivan’s clothing but found that these lies were not the legal cause of the conviction.
Michael Sullivan was convicted of the murder and armed robbery of Wilfred McGrath in 1987 when Michael was only twenty-six (26) years old. Michael remained in prison until 2013 when he was granted a new trial based on newly discovered evidence – that the clothing Mr. Pino claimed had blood on them had tested negative for blood and DNA proved that Mr. McGrath, the victim, was excluded as the source of any DNA on the jacket. The Middlesex County District Attorney’s office waited nearly six years before dropping the case against Michael in 2019. This civil suit followed and was aggressively prosecuted by Heinlein Beeler Mingace & Heineman, P.C. with the assistance of Attorney Lisa Parlagreco.
At this civil trial, Mr. Sullivan bore the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that he was actually innocent of the crimes. Over three weeks, the plaintiff’s team presented all of the evidence from the 1987 criminal trial as well as the new evidence showing that there was no blood on Mr. Sullivan’s clothing in an effort to prove his innocence. The jury, in a resounding verdict, declared that Michael had been erroneously convicted in 1987 and had proven by clear and convincing evidence that he was innocent of the crimes.
The case caption is Michael Sullivan v. Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Robert Pino, Suffolk Superior Court, Docket No. 1984CV01892.
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