A 71-year-old man, who spent nearly five decades in prison for a murder he did not commit, is to receive a $7.15 million settlement from the US city that convicted him.

Glynn Simmons, who is black, served more time behind bars before being exonerated than any other inmate in US history, according to The National Registry of Exonerations.

Simmons was released last year after serving a total of 48 years, one month and 18 days in prison.

On Monday, councillors in Edmond, Oklahoma, voted to proceed with a settlement for Simmons to resolve claims against the city and one of the detectives who helped put him away, public records showed.