PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Rebecca Stewart
Telephone: 513-479-3335
Email: info@saveservices.org
Milestone Award in Maine to Compensate Victim of Prosecutorial Misconduct
WASHINGTON / October 2, 2018 – In a first for Maine, the state has agreed to compensate a victim of prosecutorial misconduct. Last week it was announced that the state will pay Vladek Filler a settlement of $375,000, arising from the misconduct of former Hancock County Assistant District Attorney Mary Kellett, police officials, and others.
In 2007, Ligia Filler alleged she was a victim of marital rape. Ignoring exculpatory evidence, ADA Kellett prosecuted Vladek on several counts of sexual assault. Filler was convicted of assault, but was cleared of the rape charges made during a divorce and child custody battle. Eventually, the assault charge was also dismissed.
In 2011, SAVE filed a Grievance Complaint against Kellett with the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar alleging improper withholding of evidence and other misconduct. On May 12, 2011, SAVE held a press conference at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor (1).
The complaint was investigated and eventually referred to the Maine Supreme Court, which ruled against the prosecutor in 2013. Mary Kellett issued a public apology and was required to attend ethics training. She later resigned her position.
In 2015, Vladek filed a civil rights lawsuit against Kellett and other parties. The lawsuit against a nurse who coached Ligia to cry during testimony to make her claims more credible is still outstanding (2).
More information on Vladek Filler’s exoneration is available from the National Registry of Exonerations (3). The legal documents of the lawsuit are available online (4).
October 2 is Wrongful Conviction Day (5).
Citations:
- http://www.saveservices.org/camp/intolerable-injustice/
- https://www.dailywire.com/news/36302/maine-man-receives-375000-after-false-rape-ashe-schow
- https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=4694
- https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/6844884/FILLER_v_HANCOCK_COUNTY_et_al#
- http://www.intlwrongfulconvictionday.org/
SAVE — Stop Abusive and Violent Environments — is working for effective and fair solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org