AARON BEARD Associated Press Writer

(AP) - DURHAM, North Carolina-A North Carolina county prosecutor who led the now-discredited Duke lacrosse rape case reported to jail Friday to begin serving a 24-hour sentence for contempt of court. The city, meanwhile, was in settlement talks with the three exonerated players.

According to a person close to the case, attorneys for the three players are seeking a $30 million (€22 million) settlement from Durham - $10 million for each player over five years- and reforms in the legal process. If the terms are not met, they will file a civil rights lawsuit early next month, the person told The Associated Press on Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the proposed settlement was not complete.

Former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong declined to speak with reporters as he arrived at the jail Friday. He was disbarred for ethics violations in his handling of the case, and a judge found him in contempt for lying to the court when he insisted he had given defense attorneys all results from critical DNA tests.

A small group of supporters accompanied him while a handful of hecklers also met him at the jail. One woman shouted out: "Justice works!"

The case involved three university lacrosse players - David Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann - who were accused of raping a woman who had been hired to strip at a team party in 2006. Nifong pursued the case and won indictments, but the charges were eventually thrown out by state prosecutors who declared the players innocent victims of a "tragic rush to accuse."

Durham's police department has also come under criticism after police helped to secure the indictments, and a special committee probing police handling of the case stopped working last month because the city's liability insurance provider warned that findings could provide material for civil lawsuits.

City Attorney Henry Blinder and City Manager Patrick Baker briefed elected officials on the settlement discussions Thursday, according to The Herald-Sun of Durham, which first reported on the settlement demands. It said the city has a $5 million (€3.65 million) liability insurance policy with a $500,000 (€365,070) deductible.