$30,000 Settlement in Death of CCA Prisoner
$30,000 Settlement in Death of CCA Prisoner
by David M. Reutter
Corrections Corporation of America paid $30,000 to settle a civil rights action in the death of a prisoner at the Metro-Davidson County Detention Center.
The suit stemmed from the January 19, 2008 death of prisoner Gerald R. Townsend, who alerted guards to the fact that his segregation cellmate, Ronnie Sullivan, did not like him and threatened him with physical harm prior to their being housed together. Townsend requested that they be separated, but guards took no action.
At about 2:30 a.m., on the morning of January 14, Sullivan began to beat Townsend. Townsend was unable to utilize the cell “call system” because it was broken, so he yelled for help. Other prisoners also began to beat on their doors to alert guards to an emergency, but no one immediately responded.
When guards finally responded, they found Townsend severely beaten and seizing. He was transferred to a hospital at 3:45 a.m. and died of blunt force trauma to his left chest and abdomen at 6:10 a.m. His mother, Jackie Townsend, agreed to the settlement on November 30, 2010. She was represented by attorneys Phillip C. Davidson and Blair P. Durham. See: Townsend v. Corrections Corporation of America, U.S.D.C. (M.D. Tenn.), Case No. 3:08-cv-00697.
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Related legal case
Townsend v. Corrections Corporation of America
| Year | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Cite | U.S.D.C. (M.D. Tenn.), Case No. 3:08-cv-00697 |
| Level | District Court |
| Damages | 30,000 |