$4.9 Million Settlement in Louisiana Jail Prisoner-On-Prisoner Beating
The City of Shreveport, Louisiana settled with the family of a prisoner that was severely beaten by another prisoner in the City's jail. The $4.9 million settlement is for damages incurred by Carl Edwin Janski in March 2002.
Janski had several encounters with the Shreveport law enforcement community prior to the March beating, as previous arrests resulted in one psychiatric evaluation that diagnosed Janski's mental illness. The March 10, 2002, beating occurred because fellow detainee Bennie Thomas thought Janski "stinks." Apparently, his body odor was overwhelming in the isolation cell shared by Janski, Thomas, and other prisoners.
The beating lasted 20-30 minutes. Thomas bashed Janski's head against a metal bedpost and repeatedly stomped until tissue and fluid came out of his skull. Thomas also shoved a toothbrush into Janski's nose, causing severe damage to his skull and brain. The entire beating was caught on a video camera and monitor system.
The lawsuit claimed that the jail staff was inadequately trained, there was inadequate staff, the monitoring equipment was outdated and under maintained, and the jail failed to insure Janski's mental problems and special needs were addressed.
As a result of the beating, Janski was not expected to regain significant cognitive function. The large settlement, which came in December 2002, is attributed to the future medical costs to care for Janski. See: Janski v. Highttower, USDC, W.D. Louisiana, Case No. CV 02-0957-S
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