Samuel Paul to Serve Petition for Compensation for Wrongful Conviction on Oregon Attorney General

SALEM, Ore. - April 23, 2025 - PRLog -- Samuel Paul to Serve Petition for Compensation for Wrongful Conviction on Oregon Attorney General

Portland, Oregon — On April 25, 2025, Samuel Paul will formally serve a Petition for Compensation for Wrongful Conviction to Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, as authorized under Oregon Senate Bill 1584. The petition seeks financial redress and official acknowledgment of Paul's wrongful conviction and unlawful imprisonment, which spanned over five years beyond what the law allows.

Mr. Paul was convicted in 2014 by a non-unanimous jury in Washington County—a practice now deemed unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in Ramos v. Louisiana (2020). The State of Oregon formally dismissed the central assault charge against Mr. Paul on November 28, 2023, acknowledging that no crime occurred. Despite this, Paul spent years incarcerated under Measure 11 mandatory sentencing and later forced into prison labor under Oregon Corrections Enterprises (OCE).

"This is not just about my freedom—it's about accountability," Paul said. "The State of Oregon must recognize that its institutions inflicted long-term harm under laws now understood to be unjust and racially discriminatory."

Notably, the prosecutor responsible for Paul's conviction, Bracken McKey, was later removed from office under undisclosed circumstances. McKey's tenure has come under scrutiny for alleged patterns of misconduct, including suppressing exculpatory evidence and aggressively pursuing convictions under racially biased laws.

Paul's petition demands compensation totaling $495,225, including statutory amounts for wrongful imprisonment, unlawful supervision, and unpaid labor. The petition also calls for the rescission of court-imposed fees, the expungement of wrongful convictions, and an official apology from the State.

The case highlights the systemic impacts of Oregon's racially rooted legal history, including the 1934 law allowing non-unanimous jury convictions, influenced by the Ku Klux Klan, and the state's prison labor system, which continues to exploit incarcerated individuals at below-market wages.

The petition has been served to multiple state officials including:

• Governor Tina Kotek
• Attorney General Dan Rayfield
• State COO Berri Leslie
• DOC Director Mike Reese
• OCE Administrator Melanie Doolin
• Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton

Mr. Paul is representing himself pro se, and has filed the petition in Washington County Circuit Court.

For more information, or to request a copy of the petition and supporting exhibits, please contact:

Samuel Paul
(503) 616-0585
samuelpabloisfree@gmail.com