In the opening post of this thread, I expressed the view that those responsible for the polygraph interrogation of Jeffrey Mark Deskovic should be held personally liable for damages. This may well come to pass. Jonathan Bandler of the White Plains Journal News reports that Deskovic's polygrapher, Daniel Stephens, is among those named in a federal lawsuit:


Quote:

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070918/NEWS02/709180419/1018 Deskovic files federal lawsuit over his 15-year wrongful imprisonment By JONATHAN BANDLER THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original publication: September 18, 2007) WHITE PLAINS - Peekskill police and a Westchester medical examiner fabricated evidence that led to the wrongful conviction of Jeffrey Deskovic in the 1989 murder of a Peekskill High School classmate, a federal lawsuit filed today alleges. Deskovic was exonerated one year ago this week in the rape and slaying of Angela Correa when the real killer was identified, but not before he served more than 15 years in state prison. The lawsuit excoriates police and prosecutors, particularly because authorities knew from the outset that semen recovered from the victim did not come from Deskovic. "Mr. Deskovic's wrongful conviction and years of wrongful incarceration, despite the fact that police and prosecutors knew of the DNA evidence and other clearly exculpatory facts, was the direct result of a veritable perfect storm of misconduct by virtually every actor at every stage of his investigation and prosecution," says the lawsuit by the Manhattan firm of Cochran, Neufeld and Scheck. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court does not seek specific monetary damages. It names Westchester and Putnam counties; the city of Peekskill; four Peekskill detectives including the current chief, Eugene Tumolo; the Putnam County sheriff's deputy who conducted a lie-detector test of Deskovic that forced his false confession; Westchester medical examiners Louis Roh and Millard Hyland; and a New York state corrections officer who allegedly fondled Deskovic and physically abused him while he was imprisoned. ... Correa's body was found Nov. 17, 1989, in a wooded area near Griffens Pond behind Hillcrest Elementary School. The 15-year-old sophomore had been raped, strangled and beaten two days earlier after leaving her Main Street home to take pictures for a photography class. Deskovic, who had turned 16 just a few weeks earlier, soon became a suspect after detectives learned he was particularly distraught about Correa's death even though he had only a passing acquaintance with the girl. The lawsuit alleges that the lead detectives, Thomas McIntyre and David Levine, coerced Deskovic into a false confession after interviewing him several times and leading him to believe he was helping their investigation. They allegedly falsified police reports to hide that they fed Deskovic information about the killing or that the details he gave them had not been concealed from the public. They also coerced Deskovic into continuously talking to them after he had invoked his right to a lawyer, the lawsuit alleges. The confession after weeks of denials came after a lengthy interrogation on Jan. 25, 1990, when the detectives took Deskovic to the Brewster office of Daniel Stephens, a Putnam County sheriff's deputy who moonlighted as a polygraph examiner. The session was meant to force a confession by convincing Deskovic he had failed the lie detector test, his lawyers contend. He eventually told McIntyre that he hit Correa in the head with a bottle and smothered her, although he broke into tears and curled up in the fetal position after they pressed him to repeat his confession.