Five of the so-called Beatrice Six wrongly imprisoned in Nebraska for decades for rape and murder are suing former and current county officials for violating their civil rights.

Lincoln attorney Herb Friedman has filed a complaint on behalf of James Dean in U.S. District Court.

Lincoln attorneys Robert Bartle and Jeffrey Patterson and Norfolk attorney Douglas Stratton filed complaints on behalf of Thomas Winslow, Joseph White, Kathleen Gonzalez and Joann Taylor in U.S. District Court.

Last year, new testing of DNA evidence in the 1985 rape and murder of 68-year-old Helen Wilson proved that only one person, Bruce Allen Smith, committed the crimes. Smith died in 1992.

In the lawsuit filed by Friedman, Dean alleges former Gage County officials fabricated and offered evidence they knew, or should have known, was false.

The lawsuits filed on behalf of the other four people allege the same and claim Gage County defendants consciously ignored inconsistencies in the claims of various witnesses in 1989.

"Had a properly conducted investigation taken place, the individuals that we represent would not have been arrested, would not have been convicted and would not have been behind bars, for in the case of Mr. White, more than 20 years..." said Stratton.

Each lawsuit seeks unspecified damages in connection with each persons' wrongful imprisonment along with a jury trial in Lincoln.

Check out the "Related Stories" section below for our special series on the case, called "Stolen Lives".