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IN Jail Settles Victim Suit for $650,000
On September 10, 1999, the Howard County jail in Indiana settled a lawsuit by crime victims for $650,000. A mother, 44, and her 9 year old daughter were physically and sexually assaulted by a prisoner who escaped from the jail by using a maintenance key to access a utility shaft.
The plaintiffs sued the board of commissioners and jail defendants for negligently allowing the prisoner's escape, thereby creating a foreseeable risk of harm and danger to people outside the jail. The plaintiffs also claimed the defendants .failed to take adequate security precautions because another prisoner had gained access to the same utility shaft three years before this incident. The plaintiffs claimed defendants failed to supervise the escapee, properly maintain the jail and hire, train and supervise qualified security staff.
The defendants denied any wrongdoing or liability and paid the plaintiffs $650,000 to settle the lawsuit. See: Doe v.
US DC, SD IN, Case No. IP98-0073-CH 43 ATLA 57 (2000).
Source: ATLA Law Reporter
The plaintiffs sued the board of commissioners and jail defendants for negligently allowing the prisoner's escape, thereby creating a foreseeable risk of harm and danger to people outside the jail. The plaintiffs also claimed the defendants .failed to take adequate security precautions because another prisoner had gained access to the same utility shaft three years before this incident. The plaintiffs claimed defendants failed to supervise the escapee, properly maintain the jail and hire, train and supervise qualified security staff.
The defendants denied any wrongdoing or liability and paid the plaintiffs $650,000 to settle the lawsuit. See: Doe v.
US DC, SD IN, Case No. IP98-0073-CH 43 ATLA 57 (2000).
Source: ATLA Law Reporter
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Related legal case
Doe v. United States of America
| Year | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Cite | USDC SD IN, No. 1P98-0073-CH, 43 ATLA 57 (2000) |
| Level | District Court |
| Conclusion | Settlement |
| Attorney Fees | 0 |
| Damages | 650000 |
| Injunction Status | N/A |