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Maine Prisoner Subjected to Excessive Force Awarded $30,000
On October 3, 1997, a federal jury in Bangor, Maine awarded a state
prisoner $30,000 in punitive damages and $2.00 in nominal damages. The
prisoner had claimed he was subjected to excessive force by two guards at
the state's supermax prison in Warren.
The plaintiff, a 23-year-old prisoner at the Maine Correctional Institute
(MCI), claimed he was provoked by a guard while on the recreation yard. The
guard, whom the plaintiff contended had previously provoked him, grabbed
the plaintiff's arm as he was attempting to drink from the water fountain,
and the plaintiff resisted.
The plaintiff claimed he was then choked and punched as the guards
handcuffed him, resulting in bruises and a black eye. The plaintiff sued
MCI and the two guards individually, claiming they used force to inflict
pain maliciously or sadistically in violation of his 8th Amendment rights.
At trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, the
plaintiff, who had since been paroled, presented two prisoner witnesses who
corroborated his version of events. The guards contended the plaintiff had
been disruptive and that their actions had been appropriate and necessary
to maintain order.
Plaintiff's attorney, Stuard W. Tisdale, Jr. of Portland, Maine, told the
jury his client was not seeking compensatory damages but merely wanted to
send a message that prison guards could not act above the law.
The jury found for the plaintiff and awarded him $1.00 in nominal damages
and $15,000 in punitive damages against each defendant, for a total award
of $30,002. Tisdale represented the plaintiff pro bono. See: Williams v.
Magnuson, USDC D ME, Case No. 96-72-B.
prisoner $30,000 in punitive damages and $2.00 in nominal damages. The
prisoner had claimed he was subjected to excessive force by two guards at
the state's supermax prison in Warren.
The plaintiff, a 23-year-old prisoner at the Maine Correctional Institute
(MCI), claimed he was provoked by a guard while on the recreation yard. The
guard, whom the plaintiff contended had previously provoked him, grabbed
the plaintiff's arm as he was attempting to drink from the water fountain,
and the plaintiff resisted.
The plaintiff claimed he was then choked and punched as the guards
handcuffed him, resulting in bruises and a black eye. The plaintiff sued
MCI and the two guards individually, claiming they used force to inflict
pain maliciously or sadistically in violation of his 8th Amendment rights.
At trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, the
plaintiff, who had since been paroled, presented two prisoner witnesses who
corroborated his version of events. The guards contended the plaintiff had
been disruptive and that their actions had been appropriate and necessary
to maintain order.
Plaintiff's attorney, Stuard W. Tisdale, Jr. of Portland, Maine, told the
jury his client was not seeking compensatory damages but merely wanted to
send a message that prison guards could not act above the law.
The jury found for the plaintiff and awarded him $1.00 in nominal damages
and $15,000 in punitive damages against each defendant, for a total award
of $30,002. Tisdale represented the plaintiff pro bono. See: Williams v.
Magnuson, USDC D ME, Case No. 96-72-B.
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Related legal case
Williams v. Magnuson
| Year | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Cite | USDC D ME, Case No. 96-72-B |
| Level | District Court |
| Conclusion | Jury Verdict |
| Attorney Fees | 0 |
| Damages | 30002 |
| Injunction Status | N/A |