“I finally feel like I am able to wake up from a 34-year nightmare,” says Jeff Clark, who spent more than 22 years in prison before being exonerated in 2018.
LOUISVILLE – On April 6, 1992, Jeffery Clark was held in an interrogation room for over eight hours, with a gun pointed at him, as police attempted to threaten and coerce him into confessing to a crime he did not commit. Exactly 34 years later, on April 6, 2026, Mr. Clark took the stand in his civil suit, alleging Meade County, former Meade County Sheriff Joseph Greer, Deputy Clifford Wise, and former Meade County Coroner William Adams conspired to wrongfully imprison him for 22.5 years.
Last night, the jury found in Mr. Clark’s favor and awarded him $24.35 million in compensatory damages and an additional $75,000 in punitive damages. This is one the largest civil-rights verdicts in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Mr. Clark and Keith Hardin were only 21 when they were subjected to a myopic police investigation into the 1992 murder of Mr. Hardin’s girlfriend, 19-year-old Rhonda Sue Warford. Mr. Clark’s lawsuit contended that the police and prosecution’s unsubstantiated characterization of the murder as a “satanic sacrifice,” and additional fabrication, led to a jury verdict in 1995 that found both men guilty and sentenced them to life in prison.
“No amount of money can atone for the catastrophic consequences on Jeff’s life, or the injustice done to Rhonda and her family,” says attorney Amy Staples, of the civil rights law firm of Loevy + Loevy. “But we are relieved the jury saw the sham investigation that Jeff was subjected to. This trial enforces how the violation of constitutional rights can no longer be tolerated.”
Mr. Clark and Keith Hardin were only 21 when they were subjected to a myopic police investigation into the 1992 murder of Mr. Hardin’s girlfriend, 19-year-old Rhonda Sue Warford. Mr. Clark’s lawsuit contended that the police and prosecution’s unsubstantiated characterization of the murder as a “satanic sacrifice,” and additional fabrication, led to a jury verdict in 1995 that found both men guilty and sentenced them to life in prison.
In one of the more damning allegations, Mr. Clark proved that Sheriff Greer and Coroner Bill Adams conspired to manipulate the date of the death on official governmental documents to circumvent what Greer represented as Mr. Clark and Mr. Hardin’s “beautiful alibis” for April 3-5. On the eve of this civil trial, Mr. Clark’s legal team obtained the original death certificate for the first time.
Despite the medical examiner concluding that the best estimate for Ms. Warford’s death was April 4-5, Clark proved that Adams used white-out to alter the date of death to April 2 on the official death certificate, in order to get around the verified alibis. Greer concurrently used white-out to change the date of death to April 2 on the uniform offense report, catalyzing Mr. Clarks arrest and later conviction.
At the 1995 criminal trial, the prosecution’s star witnesses against Mr. Clark were Clifford Capps, a jailhouse snitch, and Amy Remsberg, Mr. Clark’s ex-girlfriend. In his civil trial, Mr. Clark proved that Sheriff Greer knew and concealed that Capps had a reputation for dishonesty and had lied in other criminal investigations. Mr. Clark also proved that Sheriff Greer suppressed a letter written by Capps asking another inmate to corroborate his fabricated testimony incriminating Mr. Clark, all in violation of Mr. Clark’s constitutional rights.
The trial also brought out that Remsberg made false allegations against Mr. Clark at the criminal trial that diametrically opposed her concealed first statement to Coroner Adams.
Clark was subjected to further misconduct by Detective Mark Handy, who is now a convicted felon for perjury and evidence tampering in other cases. Handy manufactured an inculpatory statement from Mr. Hardin, in conspiracy with Greer, Wise, and Adams.
Mr. Clark was finally released from prison in 2016, and ultimately exonerated when current Governor Beshear, then Attorney General, dismissed all charges in 2018.
“Defendants framed Jeff for a crime he didn’t commit when he was just a young kid,” says attorney Elliot Slosar. “Jeff lost his life and wasn’t set free until he was in his mid-40s. Upon verifying Jeff’s alibi, Defendants had two paths: find the true killer or manipulate the evidence. They chose option 2 and ruined Jeff’s life in the process.”
“In 24 million different ways, this verdict not only gives Jeff his life back, but demonstrates that in Kentucky, this appalling misconduct will not be condoned,” continues Mr. Slosar. “The jury courageously held Meade County accountable for their egregious failure to train. This verdict is a clear message to the defendants and anyone else deliberately framing innocent people: your misconduct will someday unravel, and you will be held accountable for what you have done.”
Yesterday, the jury found for Mr. Clark on claims of: (1) withheld exculpatory evidence (Greer); (2) fabrication of evidence (Greer and Adams); (3) failure to intervene (Greer and Adams); (4) conspiracy (Greer and Adams); and (5) Monell against Meade County for their failure to train when led to the violation of Mr. Clark’s constitutional rights. In addition to the $24.35 million in compensatory damages, the jury also awarded $74,791.75 in punitive damages against Coroner Adams.
After almost three decades, Mr. Clark’s battle for vindication and justice has been delivered by the jury.
“I finally feel like I am able to wake up from a 34-year nightmare,” says Mr. Clark. “I am beyond thankful to the nine jurors who saw what I have been through.”
Mr. Clark is represented by Attorneys Elliot Slosar, Amy Robinson Staples, and Julia Quinn, and legal team Melinda Ek, Jimmer Dudley, and Stephany Janssen of Loevy + Loevy.
“Jeff is a courageous, kind, thoughtful, and determined person who should have never had to take on this fight,” says Ms. Quinn. “Thanks to his resilience, we hope this case can serve as an important precedent for others seeking accountability.”
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To read the complaint in this case, click here.