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Dead man’s estate postpones Claims Board hearing

By: Dan Shaw, [email protected]//December 11, 2013//

Dead man’s estate postpones Claims Board hearing

By: Dan Shaw, [email protected]//December 11, 2013//

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Annette Bruner stands on the balcony of her Madison residence Oct. 5. Her son, Forest Shomberg, spent six years in prison before DNA evidence cleared his name. Shomberg died in August, and Bruner now is trying to recoup compensation from the state. (Staff photos by Kevin Harnack)
Annette Bruner stands on the balcony of her Madison residence Oct. 5. Her son, Forest Shomberg, spent six years in prison before DNA evidence cleared his name. Shomberg died in August. (File photo by Kevin Harnack)

A hearing for a man who died while trying to obtain compensation for his wrongful incarceration has been postponed.

The estate of Forest Shomberg was scheduled to appear Dec. 19 before the state Claims Board, which is charged with awarding restitution to the wrongfully incarcerated. But that appearance date was pushed back to an unspecified date in the spring at the request of the lawyer representing the estate, according to a news release attributed to Patti Reardon, program and policy analyst for the board.

Shomberg was imprisoned from 2003 to 2009 on a conviction for attempted sexual assault; DNA evidence later ruled him out as the culprit.

Shomberg went before the Claims Board a year ago, only to be told that he had not met a standard requiring him to furnish “clear and convincing evidence” of his innocence in order to receive compensation. Shomberg appealed the decision and Eau Claire County Circuit Judge Michael Schumacher eventually ordered the board to award him an equitable amount.

Before Shomberg could appear before the board again, though, he died, apparently from a suicide.

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