Modesto

At the heart of the case was the late Frank Carson, a veteran Modesto defense attorney with a pugilistic style who delighted in antagonizing police and prosecutors.

Even as he stood trial for murder, Carson continued to practice law at the downtown Modesto courthouse.

Six years after a jury acquitted a Modesto defense attorney and his codefendants in an alleged murder conspiracy, Stanislaus County has agreed to settle a malicious prosecution lawsuit for $22.5 million, one of the largest payouts of its kind in the history of the California courts.

Modesto defense attorney Frank Carson spent years accusing local police and prosecutors of corruption.

“It’s scary,” said Christine Gemperle, an almond farmer in Ceres, near Modesto.