Stanislaus County Pays $22.5M in Wrongful Case

Stanislaus County has agreed to pay $22.5 million to settle a lawsuit with the family of late Modesto defense attorney Frank Carson and seven others who were wrongfully accused in the 2012 murder of Korey Kauffman. The plaintiffs include Carson's wife, daughter, two local business owners, and three California Highway Patrol officers. All were acquitted in 2019 after proceedings revealed no physical evidence and suggested prosecutorial retaliation for Carson's courtroom successes. Carson died in 2020, a year after his acquittal, amid ongoing legal struggles. The settlement, finalized just before a federal trial, will allocate $4 million to Carson's estate and the remainder among the other plaintiffs. Stanislaus County settled to avoid further litigation, while the plaintiffs’ attorneys called the case a warning against prosecutorial abuse.