Charlotte, NC -- Poyner Spruill LLP is proud to announce that attorney Stu Couch was awarded the 2009 "pro reo" Award by the German Bar Association (GBA).　 This marks the first time that anyone outside of Germany has received this recognition.　 The coveted award is based on the Latin legal doctrine in dubio pro reo which means "in doubt in favor of the accused."

Couch recently joined Poyner Spruill after a distinguished 22-year career in the United States Marine Corps as a pilot, a prosecutor, and an appellate judge. He is currently of counsel at the firm’s Charlotte office, concentrating his practice in professional malpractice defense and internal investigations.

Couch officially received the honor November 14 during a conference held by the Criminal Law Committee of the GBA conference in Berlin.　 The award acknowledges an individual’s commitment to the rule of law, which recognizes that judgment must be made in favor of the accused if there is doubt about the guilt of the accused.　 Couch’s "pro reo" Award is a result of his time and actions as a senior prosecutor in the Office of Military Commissions from 2003 to 2006 where he conducted criminal proceedings against selected detainees held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.　

As described in a 2007 article by The Wall Street Journal, Couch refused to prosecute Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a detainee linked to the 9/11 terror attacks once he determined that statements obtained from Slahi were the product of torture.　 Couch had a personal connection to the proceedings, as he was friends with a fellow Marine who was co-pilot on the second airplane to hit the World Trade Center. 　Despite his personal misgivings, Couch knew he could not prosecute the detainee based on the evidence provided.

"Stuart Couch has given a face to the international campaign against torture and the fundamental commandments of justice and international laws devoted to the protection of human dignity," says Professor Werner Leitner, director of the Criminal Law Committee of the GBA.　 "He is a worthy recipient of the "pro reo" award, and we were honored to present it to him."

Couch later served as lead counsel in the case of Guantánamo Bay detainee Salim Ahmed Hamdan, and liaison to the Department of Justice and Solicitor General in the U.S. Supreme Court litigation of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, a landmark case involving separation of powers and Presidential authority during wartime. His story has been featured in numerous media articles, including Newsweek, the award-winning documentary Torturing Democracy, and the editorial page of The Washington Post.

Couch was awarded with the American Bar Association's 2007 "Minister of Justice Award" for his unwavering commitment to "protecting the innocent as well as convicting the guilty" and legal and ethical standards.