Sexual Assault
$385,000 to Victim of Police Sex Abuse in Pennsylvania
A police officer and the city that employed him settled a federal civil rights claim brought by a woman who alleged that the officer sexually abused her. Pursuant to the June 10, 2013 settlement, Bristol Borough agreed to pay the woman $385,000 from a self-insurance pool. On the night of August 29, 2008, Joanne Cipressi…
Read More$440,000 Settles Police Officer Harassment, Retaliation Claim
A Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania police officer has accepted $440,000 to settle a claim that he was harassed and retaliated against for reporting a sexual assault committed by his partner. Ritchie Webb had been working for the Bristol Borough police department for almost a decade when he responded to a domestic dispute on August 29, 2008.…
Read MoreWarden Who Failed to Protect Female Prisoners from Sexual Assault Not Immune from Suit
By Christopher Zoukis The Ninth Circuit has ruled that the former warden at the California Institute for Women (CIW) is not immune from liability for failing to protect two female prisoners from repeated sexual abuse at the hands of a prison guard. Jossie Ramos and Melissa Ortiz were incarcerated at CIW in 2010 when Guillermo…
Read MoreSome Lawsuits Resolved Against New Mexico Prison Doctor, Others Still Pending
By Christopher Zoukis Since 2013, former New Mexico prison doctor Mark E. Walden, nicknamed “Dr. Fingers,” has faced allegations that he sexually abused a number of state prisoners. As a result of the alleged sexual assaults, he has been sued at least 15 times by 77 prisoners who were housed at facilities where Walden was…
Read MoreOhio Prison Guards Cited for Sexual Misconduct with Prisoners
By Christopher Zoukis Several Ohio state prison guards have been disciplined following at least 19 allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate relationships with female prisoners between 2012 and 2013. Most of the allegations arose shortly after the Dayton Correctional Institution (DCI) switched from a male-only to an all-female prison in 2012, but ongoing problems were…
Read MorePrison Legal News battles DOC censorship of important information on sexual violence in prisons
By Christopher Zoukis Prison Legal News has launched an important lawsuit against Arizona’s Department of Corrections over the withholding of their publication from prisoners. The editions in question discuss documented cases of rape and sexual violence perpetrated by prison staff against inmates—one of which took place in an Arizona prison and was heard in federal…
Read MoreAbuse by Oregon Jail Guard Nets Probation; Defense Attorney Blames Victim
By Prison Legal News A former Oregon jail guard was sentenced to probation for sexually abusing a female prisoner after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge; his defense attorney blamed the incarcerated victim while the prosecutor defended the light sentence. The guard, Eddie James Miller, 60, was later accused of sexually harassing a co-worker. As…
Read MoreAdministrators Fired at Privately-Run Texas Jail
By Prison Legal News The warden and head of security at the Liberty County Jail (LCJ) in Liberty, Texas have been fired in the wake of allegations that the chief of security sexually assaulted a female prisoner at the facility. The 285-bed jail is operated by the New Jersey-based Community Education Centers (CEC), a for-profit…
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