Former death row inmate gets OK to sue Ohio

CLEVELAND (AP) - A former death row inmate can seek reimbursement from Ohio for more than 20 years of wrongful imprisonment.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that a Cuyahoga County judge ruled Friday that Joe D'Ambrosio can sue the state in the Ohio Court of Claims. The newspaper reports that 51-year-old D'Ambrosio of North Royalton could be eligible for $1 million if he sues and wins.

D'Ambrosio was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1988 murder of Anthony Klann of Cleveland. A federal judge later overturned the conviction, ruling prosecutors withheld evidence that might have exonerated him at trial.

He was released from prison over three years ago. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by the state last year, enabling D'Ambrosio to try to seek compensation.