DURHAM, N.C. -- A nonprofit corporation founded to help pay for the legal defense of three former Duke lacrosse players accused of sexual assault has raised about $750,000 -- a quarter of the $3 million believed to have been spent thus far.

The Association for Truth and Fairness was incorporated April 19 in Delaware with the goal of raising $5 million, said a group founder, Sherman Joyce, president of the Washington-based American Tort Reform Association and a family friend of one of the accused players.

"The real message is just think how this would play out in a situation where someone did not have these kinds of resources available," Joyce said.

Defense attorneys have spent hundreds of hours on the case and hired private investigators, pollsters and experts in DNA and forensics since Collin Finnerty, David Evans and Reade Seligmann were charged with raping an exotic dancer at a team party in March.

The rape charges were dropped in December after the woman changed a key detail in her story, but the men still face kidnapping and sexual offense charges. All three have strongly maintained their innocence.

Other players on the team also hired lawyers before District Attorney Mike Nifong filed charges in the case.

Nifong, who was removed from the case last month after asking to be recused, has been charged with ethics violations by the North Carolina State Bar. He is accused of making improper statements early in the case and of withholding DNA evidence.