A man who served 16 years in prison for the 1981 rape of author Alice Sebold but was exonerated last year has filed a lawsuit against New York state for $50 million over his wrongful conviction.
Anthony Broadwater, 61, was cleared in November of his conviction for rape, which took place when Sebold was a student at Syracuse University.
Prosecutors determined after a re-examination of the case that there were serious flaws in Broadwater's arrest and trial.
According to the suit, Broadwater always kept his innocence from the investigation, through trial and on appeal, while being incarcerated after his release. The lawsuit went on to say that he dutifully sought to overturn his conviction on at least five occasions in the decades following his conviction. An email seeking comment was sent to the state attorney general's office.
In her memoir Lucky, Sebold wrote about the rape in 1999.
Sebold didn't pick Broadwater out of a police lineup for a few months after the attack. Broadwater was put on trial by authorities, and she identified him as her rapist on the stand.
Sebold issued a statement apologizing to him shortly after Broadwater was exonerated.