The Ryan Ferguson lawsuit story has two chapters. In 2017, a federal judge awarded Ferguson $11 million against six Columbia, Missouri police officers who fabricated evidence in the case that sent him to prison for nearly a decade. When the city’s insurer refused to cover most of that judgment, Ferguson and the officers sued the insurer, and a Cole County judge has now ordered Travelers to pay more than $45 million, a ruling the company is appealing.
Why Ferguson Sued
Ferguson spent roughly nine years and eight months in Missouri prisons for the 2001 murder of Columbia Daily Tribune sports editor Kent Heitholt. No physical evidence tied him to the crime. His 2005 conviction rested on two witnesses, Charles Erickson and Jerry Trump, both of whom later recanted.
On November 5, 2013, the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals vacated the conviction, with Judge Cynthia Martin finding that prosecutors had committed a Brady violation by withholding an interview with Trump’s wife.1NBC News. Ryan Ferguson Speaks After Murder Conviction Overturned The Missouri Attorney General’s Office declined to retry the case, and Ferguson was released on November 12, 2013.2ABC News. Ryan Ferguson Freed After Spending Decade in Prison for Murder The murder itself remains unsolved.
The $100 Million Federal Civil Rights Suit
In March 2014, Ferguson filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri seeking $100 million in damages.3Columbia Tribune. Ryan Ferguson Civil Case Has 13 Defendants The case, numbered 2:14-cv-04062-NKL, named 13 defendants: seven Columbia police detectives, former Police Chief Randy Boehm, former Boone County prosecutor Kevin Crane, investigator William Haws, the City of Columbia, and Boone County. The complaint alleged that officers fabricated reports and evidence, coerced witnesses into making false statements, and suppressed exculpatory material.
U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey narrowed the case over the following months. In August 2014, she dismissed Crane on immunity grounds, ruling that his public statements expressing belief in Ferguson’s guilt were protected opinions.4Columbia Missourian. Crane Dropped From Ryan Ferguson Lawsuit Defamation claims against Crane and Boehm were dismissed with prejudice. The City of Columbia and Boone County stayed in as defendants along with several officers and investigators.5KMBC. Prosecutor Released From Ferguson Lawsuit
The $11 Million Judgment Against Columbia Officers
By 2017, the case had narrowed to six Columbia police officers: Bryan Liebhart, Jeff Nichols, Jeff Westbrook, John Short, Lloyd Simons, and Latisha Stroer. After a four-hour bench trial on July 10, 2017, Judge Laughrey found the officers liable for violating Ferguson’s constitutional rights by fabricating evidence.6Columbia Tribune. Ryan Ferguson Awarded $11 Million She awarded Ferguson $11 million: $1 million for each of his roughly ten years of imprisonment, plus $1 million for legal expenses.7KMBC. Man Wrongfully Convicted in Columbia Death Wins $11 Million
The City of Columbia and its then-insurer paid $2.75 million of that judgment. The individual officers did not have the assets to cover the rest. That gap is what set off the next round of litigation.
The Insurance Fight With Travelers
The remaining balance fell to St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, a Travelers subsidiary, which had written a law enforcement liability policy for the City of Columbia running from 2006 to 2011. Travelers refused to pay, arguing that the wrongful conviction predated its policy period.
In December 2019, the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, rejected that argument. The court held that the policy was “injury-based,” so coverage was triggered by Ferguson’s ongoing imprisonment during the policy years, not by the date of the original misconduct. Because Ferguson stayed incarcerated until 2013, the injury continued through the years Travelers insured the city.8Findlaw. Ferguson v. St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company
Travelers still did not pay. Ferguson and the six officers then sued the insurer in Cole County Circuit Court, alleging bad faith and vexatious refusal to pay. Attorney Kathleen Zellner, who had represented Ferguson pro bono since late 2009, argued that Travelers had ignored policy-limits demands going back to 2015 and had stalled to avoid indemnifying the officers. Had the insurer simply covered them, her team contended, the officers would never have faced personal liability.9ABC17 News. Jury Awards Ryan Ferguson Nearly $38 Million in Damages
The November 2024 Jury Verdict
A Cole County jury returned its verdict on November 1, 2024, awarding $37.9 million: $2.9 million in compensatory damages and $35 million in punitive damages.10Columbia Tribune. Travelers Has to Pay Out $38 Million to Ryan Ferguson Under the allocation the plaintiffs had agreed on, 86 percent of the award went to Ferguson and 14 percent to the six officers, roughly 2 percent each.9ABC17 News. Jury Awards Ryan Ferguson Nearly $38 Million in Damages Ferguson’s legal team called it the highest national verdict for a bad faith case arising from a wrongful conviction.
The Final Judgment and Amendment
On June 16, 2025, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Cotton Walker entered a judgment of $43.8 million. That figure combined the jury’s verdict with several million dollars in accrued interest, an additional $2.14 million for vexatious refusal, and $305,250 in attorneys’ fees.11ABC17 News. Judge Awards Ryan Ferguson $43.8 Million in Lawsuit Against Insurance Company On October 8, 2025, Judge Walker amended the ruling upward to more than $45.1 million to account for additional compounding.12Columbia Missourian. Judge Adds $1.3 Million to the Award an Insurance Company Owes Ryan Ferguson
Where the Case Stands
Travelers posted a $50 million bond to suspend the judgment and filed a notice of appeal with the Western District Court of Appeals on October 21, 2025. The company is challenging both the legal basis of the award and Judge Walker’s interest calculations.13ABC17 News. Travelers Insurance Appeals Eight-Figure Award for Ryan Ferguson The appeal is pending, and Ferguson has not yet collected on the bad faith judgment.