In 1976, Vietnam veteran Leonard Mack was sentenced in connection to the rape of a girl in Greenburgh. He served 7 1/2 years in prison.

Mack was exonerated of the charges last September through new DNA evidence, which proved it was not him. For him though, the damage had already been done.

"Even while in prison. I was determined I was not going to give up. I kept that hope alive that one day it was going to come out that I didn't commit this crime," Mack said Tuesday morning. "I walked around for 47 years with a label on my back saying 'rapist.'''

Mack's wrongful conviction lasted almost five decades. His conviction for rape is the longest to be overturned by DNA evidence, according to a release from the national civil rights law firm, Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger, LLP.

He claims the conviction prevented him from getting jobs and spending time with his children.

RELATED: Man wrongfully convicted of Greenburgh rape exonerated after nearly 5 decades

"It still bothers me even though I've been exonerated. It still bothers me that because of what happened we were separated all those years," said Mack.

The lawsuit was filed against Westchester County, the Town of Greenburgh and a number of individuals. The lawsuit states: "His innocence was apparent from the beginning."

Emma Freudenberger, with NSBHF, reaffirms this through a number of reasons.

"The other thing that's so striking about this case is how egregious the misconduct was. Both by the police officers who framed Mr. Mack in the first instance and also by the forensic crime lab analyst," said Emma Freudenberger, with NSBHF.

Mack hopes the lawsuit will hold people accountable and help prevent other wrongly convicted and accused people.

"For the rest of my life, even though I've been exonerated, for the rest of my life, I have to live with this...it really messed up my life and I can never get that back," says Mack.

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for what they call the violation of Mack's federal and state constitutional rights. News 12 has not heard back from Westchester County.

Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner released the following statement. "We are reviewing the lawsuit with our attorneys and will be involved in the discovery process gathering more information."