Man With Overturned Murder Conviction Sues City

With his wife and children looking on for support, Fernando Bermudez and his attorneys announced a federal civil lawsuit Wednesday against the city to the tune of $30 million plus punitive damages.

"What's 18 years of the prime of a man's life worth? Fernando was 22 when he went in and 40 when he came out. What's what worth? Can anybody put a number on that?" said Bermudez' attorney, Michael Lamonsoff.

Bermudez was convicted in 1991 of shooting and killing a 16-year-old outside a nightclub near Union Square. He spent 18 years bouncing from prison to prison, insisting he was innocent.

In November 2009, a state supreme court judge vacated Bermudez' conviction, finding prosecutors hid evidence that showed he was innocent.

The Manhattan district attorney's office would not comment.

"What kept me going was essentially the fact that I knew I was innocent and that I had to stay strong in the hopes that the outcome would prevail. Not only that, the love of my family, my wife and children, who always served as a basic form of hope and encouragement," Bermudez said.

Just because he's out of prison doesn't mean Bermudez' problems are over. He says his transition into the real world continues to be difficult.

"I am still overwhelmed," said Bermudez. "I am experiencing anxiety related to my release because it's almost like I went from the stagecoach to hover craft, the technology has been so great that I've been overwhelmed by that alone."

Bermudez says he's pursuing his bachelor's degree. And when he isn't busy with school, he says he's doing public speaking trying to make sure what happened to him doesn't happen to anyone else.

Source: http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/top_stories/134441/man-with-overturned-murder-conviction-sues-city?ap=1&MP4