Dail, expecting $360,000, sued by ex-girlfriend
Published: Wed, Oct. 24, 2007 12:00AM
Modified Wed, Oct. 24, 2007 05:21AM
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closeDwayne Dail expects a $360,000 apology from the state for the 18 years he spent in prison for another man's crime. Collector No. 1: the mother of his son.
Lori Michaels, Dail's former girlfriend, sued Tuesday, asking for 18 years of child support for their son, Chris, born after a Wayne County jury sent him to prison for raping a 12-year-old girl he'd never seen.
"I got robbed of my son's whole life, and it's like, now it's my fault?" Dail said from Florida. He moved to Fort Myers after a judge freed him in August when DNA evidence pointed to another man. State law allows him to collect $20,000 for every year he spent in prison.
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Chris Michaels headed to Florida to live with his father this month. They celebrated Chris' 18th birthday Saturday with a trip to the beach.
The teen fell silent Tuesday when the postman handed Dail the lawsuit, which was filed in Wayne County District Court. Dail said he tried to shield Chris and slipped into a private room to vent.
Michaels and her attorney could not be reached Tuesday night.
The lawsuit brings back several players who had a part in Dail's trip to prison.
Lori Michaels' attorney, Sarah Heekin, is a law partner with Donald Strickland, the prosecutor who argued that Dail had raped the girl. Dail's attorney? Shelby Benton, his defense attorney in 1989.
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