Exonerated After 40 Years, Milford Man Appeals Ruling Blocking Lawsuit Against Town and Police

A man wrongly convicted of murdering his aunt in Milford in 1979 is appealing a judge’s ruling that he can’t sue the Town and Police Department. Gary Cifizzari was exonerated last year after newly available DNA testing eliminated him as suspect. He sued the Town and several former officers alleging civil rights violations, but last month a judge ruled that there was no legal support for his claims. The Daily News reports Cifizzari did get a $1 million settlement from the state. In an appeal filed last week his attorney says a jury should decide if the Town is liable and the judge was wrong to deny that chance.