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$10,000 Settlement For Ex Federal Prisoner After Slipping In Water
Ex Federal prisoner and Michigan resident William Bonhart brought a federal tort action in 2000 against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) after slipping in water in 1998 at the Federal Correctional Institution in Elkton, Ohio (FCI Elkton). The suit settled for $10,000.
Bonhart was traversing stairs in his housing unit at FCI Elkton. Standing water on the stairs allegedly caused him to fall, resulting in a fracture to his upper left incisor, cut lips and several loose teeth. He brought the action against the DOJ and the BOP under the Federal Tort Claims Act for negligence, hazardous conditions and insufficient warning of such conditions. He alleged that the injuries were "progressive and permanent in nature." Bonhart claimed that he experienced and continues to experience "pain and suffering, humiliation, disability, mental anguish, embarrassment...and has incurred dental bills and will incur future bills" because of the injuries. He requested a jury trial.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan approved the settlement with no admission of guilt and ordered both parties to pay their own court costs and attorney fees. See: Bonhart v. United States, USDC, E.D. Mich., Case No. 00 72911 (Dec. 28, 2000).
Bonhart was traversing stairs in his housing unit at FCI Elkton. Standing water on the stairs allegedly caused him to fall, resulting in a fracture to his upper left incisor, cut lips and several loose teeth. He brought the action against the DOJ and the BOP under the Federal Tort Claims Act for negligence, hazardous conditions and insufficient warning of such conditions. He alleged that the injuries were "progressive and permanent in nature." Bonhart claimed that he experienced and continues to experience "pain and suffering, humiliation, disability, mental anguish, embarrassment...and has incurred dental bills and will incur future bills" because of the injuries. He requested a jury trial.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan approved the settlement with no admission of guilt and ordered both parties to pay their own court costs and attorney fees. See: Bonhart v. United States, USDC, E.D. Mich., Case No. 00 72911 (Dec. 28, 2000).
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Related legal case
Bonhart v. United States
| Year | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Cite | USDC, E.D. Mich., Case No. 00 72911 (Dec. 28, 2000) |
| Level | District Court |
| Conclusion | Settlement |
| Damages | $10,000.00 |
No other information is currently available.