Brutalized inmate sues the state of Connecticut for keeping half of his legal award
Find out why they are holding on to his coins
A Connecticut inmate is fighting the state in federal court after officials gave him less than half of the $30K he was awarded in a lawsuit over a beating he received from another prisoner. The state deducted the cost of his incarceration from the payout.
According to the WTNH.com (via the Associated Press), lawyers for Rashad Williams, say Connecticut officials used a state law on recouping imprisonment costs from inmates to reduce the penalty for violating his civil rights. Williams’ attorney, Tyler Butts, said the state’s move violated federal civil rights law and blunted the law’s goal of deterring human rights abuses.
“The State has gone to significant lengths to attempt to reduce its liability and to deny Mr. Williams full compensation for his damages,” Butts wrote in a court document, accusing officials of “a pattern of behavior demonstrating the State’s clear disregard” for Williams’ rights.
In addition to withholding the full payout, the state is also seeking more than $50,000 from Williams to pay public defender costs and other related expenses. Officials have gone as far as freezing $65,000 of Mr. Williams’ inmate trust account.
READ MORE: Survey reveals #MeToo movement doesn’t matter to most
What The State Is Doing Is Totally Illegal
The AP reports that while state officials declined to comment for their story, court documents show the state claims that Williams cannot legally seek the remainder of the lawsuit award and the state has not waived its immunity from his court action.
However, William’s attorney, Butts’ rebuttal claims that the U.S. Constitution invalidates state laws that interfere with federal law and this is most certainly applicable in Williams’ case.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut agrees with Williams, reports to The AP. “Effectively what they’re doing is using state law to get themselves off the hook for a federal law violation,” said Dan Barrett, legal director for the ACLU chapter. “It would violate federal law for the Correction Department to effectively discount the judgment it or its employees have to pay by claiming the prisoner has to pay for the cost of his incarceration.”
READ MORE: Meet Clifton Kinnie, the college activist pushing for Black voices in March For Our Lives
The Attack That Spawned The Lawsuit
According to AP, in 2010, Williams and a violent gang member were placed in a cell together at Northern Correctional Institution in Somers, despite Williams’ objection. According to court documents, handcuffs were taken off the gang member first and he kicked and stomped Williams while Williams was still handcuffed. Williams suffered injuries to his head, back, ankle and knee.
Williams sued prison officials in federal court, where a jury determined a prison guard, Capt. Dennis Marinelli, violated Williams’ rights by having him placed in the same cell as the gang member and was awarded $300,000.
READ MORE: Kanye West employee severely injured at work
Cases like Williams are very uncommon; however, in a similar case in Missouri in 1991, a federal judge ruled that the state could not take $3,000 awarded to a prisoner who had been sexually harassed by a prison teacher. That ruling was upheld by a federal appeals court.
Williams’ case is scheduled to go before a federal judge in Hartford.
