Inglewood Police Department knowingly put an innocent man behind bars for more than 38 years while the real killer went free [Inglewood, CA] — With a trial date approaching this month, the City of Inglewood agreed to pay a record $25 million to settle a wrongful conviction lawsuit brought by exoneree Maurice Hastings, the national civil rights law firm Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger (NSBHF) announced today. The agreement is believed to be the largest wrongful conviction settlement in California history. Following the settlement, the lawsuit has now been officially dismissed. “This historic settlement is a powerful vindication for Mr. Hastings, who has shown remarkable fortitude first in fighting to prove his innocence, and then in showing that he was framed,” said NSBHF partner Nick Brustin. “Police departments throughout California and across the country should take notice that there is a steep price to pay for allowing such egregious misconduct on their watch.” Wrongly arrested at 31 for the 1983 carjacking, rape, and murder of Roberta Wydermyer and attempted murders of her husband Billy Wydermyer and his friend George Pinson, Hastings was exonerated in 2022 at the age of 69.  As NSBHF’s 2023 federal civil rights lawsuit demonstrated in