Ex. 49ers Star Dana Stubblefield Released from Prison Today After Conviction Thrown Out Due to Racial Bias

SAN JOSE- Defense attorneys Kenneth Rosenfeld and Allen Sawyer, who have represented Stubblefield since 2015 and helped prove racial bias in the wrongful conviction, secured Stubblefield’s release today.

The Sixth Court of Appeals Overturned Stubblefield’s conviction after the defense proved racially discriminatory statements were a part of 16 significant issues with the trial, including withholding of evidence.

California Superior Court Judge Hector Ramon ruled Dana Stubblefield will be released from prison after his conviction and 15-year sentence were overturned in December citing racial bias in his trial. Mr. Stubblefield is guilty of no crime under California law or any law and is returned to his pre-trial status. He was wrongfully imprisoned for three years based on a conviction that has now been overturned by a unanimous decision by the Court of Appeals.

Defense Attorneys Kenneth Rosenfeld and Allen Sawyer, who have represented Stubblefield since 2015 and helped prove racial bias and prejudice in this wrongful conviction, successfully argued for his release today. Allen Sawyer specifically argued the motion for bail release.

“Finally, an innocent man is no longer sitting in a cage away from his family,” said Rosenfeld. “The Court of Appeals issued a forceful, unanimous ruling proving bias in Dana’s case. And their ruling was only the tip of the iceberg – the entire trial was infected with error, and crucial evidence was wrongfully withheld from the jury. This was a consensual, transactional encounter, and Dana lost years of his life due to a flagrantly biased trial that blocked critical evidence and allowed prejudice and racial bias into the courtroom. We have more work to bring this to closure, but, step by step, we are seeing justice finally being done.”

Allen Sawyer added, “The evidence in this case was not just overlooked; it was deliberately suppressed, affecting the jury’s ability to reach a fair verdict. Racial animus has no place in a courtroom or the criminal justice process. We must ensure that our legal system operates on the principles of justice and equality for all, regardless of race.”

Sawyer further stated, “Today marks a significant turning point not just for Dana, but for the broader fight against systemic racism in the legal system. This case should serve as a wake-up call to all who believe in justice and fairness under the law.”

In addition to the illegal use of Mr. Stubblefield’s race as a part of his prosecution, which the Court of Appeals cited in its unanimous ruling overturning the conviction, the prosecution and trial were riddled with additional errors of law and bias, including, but not limited to:

- Blocking the admission of police evidence that the accuser was a paid sex worker with her own website and business operation;

- Blocking admission of the accuser’s confession that she was a paid sex worker; and

- Blocking the accuser’s admission to charging sex work clients the exact amount, to the dollar, she charged Mr. Stubblefield.

This evidence was directly relevant to the case, and the jury should have been able to review it, considering Mr. Stubblefield’s testimony detailing the interaction was a paid, consensual transaction.

Further, the prosecution attempted to frame the accuser as developmentally disabled, which the judge allowed, in part via admission of an IQ test. The accuser’s primary language is Spanish – the IQ test was administered in English.

The jury in the trial rejected all claims of disability and dismissed those related charges.