Out of Prison, Michigan Man Files Suit Over Wrongful Arson Verdict

A man who spent five years in prison for a wrongful arson conviction has sued a northern Michigan county, three sheriff’s deputies and a state trooper.

Forty-year-old Victor Caminata was convicted in 2008 of burning a house in Wexford County’s Boon Township where he lived with his girlfriend and children. It’s near Cadillac.

The University of Michigan law school’s Innocence Clinic found arson experts who concluded an improperly installed wood stove caused the fire.

A judge overturned the conviction last July.

Caminata filed a federal lawsuit Feb. 28, saying the county and officers violated his constitutional rights against false arrest and for due process by withholding evidence that could have cleared him.

The county denies Caminata’s rights were violated, while the state says the trooper has immunity in the case.