Lacrosse players sue D.A., city, detectives

greensboro, n.c. -- Three former Duke University lacrosse players falsely accused of rape filed a federal lawsuit Friday against disgraced prosecutor Mike Nifong, the city of Durham and the police detectives who handled the investigation.

The lawsuit calls the criminal case against Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans “one of the most chilling episodes of premeditated police, prosecutorial and scientific misconduct in modern American history.” It seeks unspecified damages and numerous changes to the way the Durham Police Department handles criminal investigations -- including the appointment of a monitor who could hire, fire and promote department employees, including the chief, for 10 years.

About a month ago, city officials met with lawyers for the families seeking a $30-million settlement and institutional changes, according to two people close to the case. But they apparently could not reach a deal.

The city pledged Friday to defend itself and its employees, but not Nifong -- who held a state office -- or the private DNA testing lab he used.

In March 2006, a woman hired to perform as a stripper at a lacrosse team party told police she had been raped. The criminal side of the case largely ended five months ago, when North Carolina Atty. Gen. Roy Cooper declared the three players victims of Nifong’s “rush to accuse” and dropped the charges. He said the state’s investigation found “no credible evidence to conclude that an attack occurred in that house on that night.”

In the months that followed, the state bar stripped Nifong of his law license, concluding he relentlessly pursued a flawed case for political gain. He resigned as Durham County’s district attorney and spent a night in jail last month after a judge held him in criminal contempt of court for lying about DNA evidence.

Nifong did not immediately return a message Friday seeking comment.