City of Tulsa agrees to pay wrongfully convicted man over $26 Million
By Kirk McCracken – KRMG News
4:10pm 11/14/2025
Former inmate and wrongfully convicted man William Henry Jamerson is $26 Million dollars richer after a settlement agreement with the City of Tulsa.
Jamerson spent 25 years in prison for raping a 16-year old girl – a crime he did not commit. Jamerson and his attorney, Dan Smolen, spoke at the law firm of Smolen and Roytman Friday, Nov. 14, giving Jamerson a chance to address his wrongful conviction and the $26 Million settlement with the City of Tulsa.
Smolen said he’s been working on this case for 10 years and said he knew Jamerson was innocent within five minutes after meeting him. The attorney said Jamerson could have accepted parole but would’ve had to admit guilt, but Jamerson refused to confess to a crime he did not commit.
“We believe it to be the – one of the largest, if not the largest wrongful conviction settlements in history. It’s certainly the largest in the state of Oklahoma’s history,” Smolen said.
If the wrongful conviction lawsuit had gone to trial, the city could have paid exponentially more money.
Jamerson said he’s ready to move on and to help his 83-year old mother.
“I’m ready to move on to my, you know, move on, enjoy life. My mother, she’s 83 years old,” Jamerson said.
