He spends 343 days in jail by mistake, sues for $177,000 in damages, and the courts award $30 per day
The man was the salesperson at a vehicle dealership when he was accused of fraud by several customers. After a 13-year judicial ordeal, he was acquitted but the courts dismissed his $177,000 claim for damages.
The Contentious-Administrative Chamber of Spain’s National High Court has recognized the right of a citizen from Seville to receive $10,400 in compensation for the moral damage caused after spending 343 days in pretrial detention for a crime he did not commit.
The man, who at the time worked as the lead salesperson at a well-known car dealership in Seville, saw his life collapse when several customers accused him of alleged fraud. After the investigation was opened, the court ordered his pretrial detention, and he remained incarcerated for nearly twelve months.
The judicial proceedings lasted 13 years. During that time, he was dismissed from his job after being imprisoned and suffered devastating personal consequences, including the death of his father during the process, serious health problems within his family and the breakdown of his marriage. After more than a decade of litigation, the courts issued a final judgment fully acquitting him of all charges.
Once his innocence was established, he filed a state liability claim seeking $174,000 in compensation. He argued that he had suffered direct economic losses from losing his job and being unable to work, as well as severe emotional and health-related harm affecting both him and his close family.
However, the National High Court rejected most of the economic claims, limiting the State’s liability strictly to the moral damage directly attributable to the days he was deprived of his liberty.
The Chamber set the compensation at $10,400, refusing to link his employment losses, divorce or his relatives’ health problems to the actions of the Administration of Justice.
The ruling leaves a bitter taste for the victim, who, after regaining his innocence following 13 years of legal battle and nearly a year behind bars, will receive compensation equivalent to only about $30 per day for each day of unjustified detention.
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