FILE - Maurice Hastings, who spent more than 38 years behind bars for a 1983 murder he did not commit, appears at a court in Los Angeles where a judge officially found him to be factually innocent on March 1, 2023. (J. Emilio Flores/Cal State LA News Service via AP, Pool) J. Emilio Flores/AP/File AP —

An innocent man who spent 38 years behind bars in California was awarded $25 million in what his lawyers called the largest wrongful conviction settlement in state history.

The settlement was reached in August, according to court documents made public on Monday.

Maurice Hastings, 72, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole in connection with the 1983 sexual assault and murder of Roberta Wydermyer, who was killed by a single gunshot to the head.

The lawsuit ac

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