In 2023, Watson Spence LLP partner, Louis Hatcher, was asked to take lead on a civil case involving a young African-American man, Demetrius Luke, who had been charged with a crime by way of a knowingly false affidavit for an arrest warrant. One of Mr. Luke’s original attorneys had died during the representation, and the other attorney was terminally ill. Mr. Hatcher and Watson Spence associate, Tye Skala, completed working the case up for trial and secured a $275,000 settlement from the City of Albany, Georgia on behalf of Mr. Luke.
“Mr. Luke is a fine, hard-working young man, and did not deserve to be wrongfully charged with crimes he did not commit, and for which there was absolutely no evidence of his involvement in any charged criminal act,” said Mr. Hatcher. “While this travesty of justice will never be completely cured, we believe there is some measure of vindication for Mr. Luke. It is an absolute shame that neither the law enforcement officers or prosecutors involved were concerned enough about justice and integrity such that this situation could have been avoided entirely.” Mr. Hatcher, himself a former prosecutor, understands that mistakes will happen, “but there is no excuse for dishonesty or abject incompetence in the role of a law enforcement officer or prosecutor.”
Mr. Hatcher and Mr. Skala recognize the good, hard work of Mr. Luke’s former attorneys, Howard Stiller and Jim Finkelstein. “Their determined work on this case, including two successful federal appeals, laid the foundation for the resolution of this matter by way of an acceptable settlement,” noted Mr. Hatcher.