One month after receiving a pardon of innocence from the governor, North Carolina Pastor Darron Carmon received a $4.4 million settlement in his civil suit against the town of Winterville. Although the town admitted no wrongdoing, Carmon said he now has “4.4 million more reasons why…Winterville was actually wrong.”
As ChurchLeaders reported, Carmon was convicted of armed robbery in 1994, at age 19. After eight years in prison, where he maintained his innocence, Carmon was released for good behavior. In 2022, a court overturned his conviction. Last month’s pardon from outgoing North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper made Carmon eligible for up to $400,000 in restitution from the state.
RELATED: NC Pastor Receives Full Pardon, Now Eligible for $400,000 in Restitution for Wrongful Imprisonment
In a civil lawsuit against Winterville and two former police officers, Carmon alleged they hid evidence that would have proved his innocence. A trial had been slated to begin this month.
North Carolina Pastor: ‘You Cannot Fix What You Do Not Face’
In a statement about the settlement, the town of Winterville said:
The town repudiates Mr. Carmon’s claims of wrongdoing by the town and its officers in the strongest possible terms. As part of the settlement, all parties specifically agreed that neither the town nor the officers admitted to any wrongdoing. While the town believes strongly that there was no wrongdoing by the town or its officers, the town is pleased to have this matter resolved and is ready to move forward.
Asked why he accepted a settlement, rather than going to court, Carmon said the town’s insurance providers wanted to avoid a trial. “They settled with what I actually wanted,” he told a reporter.
The settlement—along with his exoneration and pardon—speaks for itself, according to the pastor. Though he feels like justice was served, he said the “the lack of acknowledgement” from the town is “an issue because you cannot fix what you do not face.”
Carmon continued, “That means to me that it’s subject to happen again to somebody else…They’re not holding themselves accountable, and that’s problematic for our community, because who’s next?”
“If you’re not going to acknowledge every time someone who looks like me says that there’s been an injustice, you always say you didn’t do anything wrong,” said Carmon.
The pastor said the officers involved “should or could still, you know, recognize the wrong that was done.”
