Jury Awards Sexually Abused Inmates
$15.4 million
By Gerri L. Elder
Toni Bunton spent almost half of her life in a Michigan
prison. She was convicted of participating in a drug deal that led to a murder
and sentenced to 25-50 years behind bars.
While in prison, Bunton says that male prison guards
repeatedly raped her and other female inmates. She is among 500 female inmates
who claimed in a lawsuit that prison officials turned a blind eye to years of
sexual abuse.
Bunton was among one of the first ten inmates to go to court
in the lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections, former DOC
Director Kenneth McGinnis and former Scott Correctional Warden Joan
Yukins. Her lawyer, Deborah LaBelle,
regularly handles civil rights cases and built up the case against the prison
over the years as she heard more and more complaints about sexual abuse from
female inmates.
The Department of Corrections fought the case all the way,
making various arguments about why it should be dismissed. The
Free Press reported that arguments were made that the statute of
limitations on the women's claims expired, that the lawsuit should not be
considered a class action, that each woman should have a separate trial and
that prisoners do not have the same rights as normal citizens.
Appeals in the case went all the way to the Michigan Supreme
Court.
Five days before Bunton went to court, an assistant state
attorney general representing the prison system filed a motion requesting that
the women have 10 separate trials. Judge Timothy Connors denied the motion and
the trial went forward.
Seven of the 10 women, including Bunton, were still
incarcerated at the time of the trial. LaBelle explained to the jury that the
women were molested and sexually assaulted over a period of years and were
powerless to do anything about it. She also told the jurors that prison
officials had ignored warnings and statistics for years.
Lawyers for the prison pointed out to jurors that they
represented the prison and not the guards. They admitted that there are
problems in every prison system, but denied that the prison was to blame
because they had not been directly notified of the sexual assaults. They
claimed that the women had many opportunities to file complaints, but had
failed to do so.
The jury awarded the 10 women $15.4 million in damages. And,
after 16 years behind bars, Bunton's prison sentence was commuted and she was
released.
The prison has appealed the verdict and asked that the
multi-million dollar award be thrown out. The hundreds of women who are waiting
for their day in court will continue to wait until the appeals process is
complete.
Speak with a Personal
Injury Lawyer
At Total Injury, we can help you find a personal injury
lawyer near you. Simply give us a call
at 877-288-7564 or fill out our free
injury case review form and we will immediately connect you with a
lawyer near you.