§ 11-44-3. Prerequisite for claim for compensation
In order to present an actionable claim for wrongful conviction and imprisonment under this chapter, a claimant must establish by documentary evidence that:
The claimant has been convicted of one or more felonies and subsequently sentenced to a term of imprisonment and has served all or any part of the sentence;
On grounds not inconsistent with innocence:
The claimant was pardoned for the felony or felonies for which sentenced and which are the grounds for the complaint and the pardon is based on the innocence of the claimant which must be affirmatively stated in the pardon; or
The judgment of conviction was vacated and/or reversed;
If there was a vacatur or reversal, either the accusatory instrument was dismissed or nol prossed; or if a new trial was held, the defendant was found not guilty;
The claimant’s claim is not time-barred by the provisions of this chapter; and
The claimant did not intentionally waive any appellate or post-conviction remedy otherwise available in order to benefit under this chapter.
The claim shall be verified by the claimant.
If the court finds after reading the claim that the claimant has not demonstrated the foregoing, it shall dismiss the claim, either on its own motion or on the state’s motion. This dismissal shall be without prejudice to allow adequate refiling within ninety (90) days.
