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Washington Prisoner’s Negligence Suit Settles for $75,000
Loaded on May 8, 2018
published in Prison Legal News
May, 2018, page 62
Washington State’s Spokane County Jail reached a $75,000 settlement in a lawsuit that alleged guards failed to protect a prisoner from being assaulted by another prisoner.
Justin T. Betts, 35, has a long history of mental illness and has been jailed more than a dozen times. Shortly after …
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More from this issue:
- In the Eye of the Storm: When Hurricanes Impact Prisons and Jails, by Matthew Clarke
- North Carolina Woman Attempts Bail Bond Scheme from Inside Jail, by Monte McCoin
- Porn Reading Rooms in Iowa Prisons Placed on Legislative Hit List
- U.S. Coast Guard Operating Inhumane Floating Prisons, by Christopher Zoukis
- Wrongful Death Case Against New York Jail Settles for $101,500, by Derek Gilna
- Nebraska Sheriffs Profiting from Jail Phone Contracts, by Christopher Zoukis
- Phony New York Lawyer Defrauds Prisoners, Sent to Prison, by Edward Lyon
- North Dakota: Altered Pencil in Prison Results in Weapon Possession Conviction
- Pro Se Rhode Island Prisoner Wins First Amendment Settlement, by Derek Gilna
- Oklahoma Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Lift Prison Smoking Ban, by Monte McCoin
- Major Wage Ratio Gap Between Executives, Employees at Private Prisons, by Steve Horn
- Former Michigan Prisoner Receives Over $817,000 for Wrongful Conviction
- Virginia Federal Court Holds Nation of Gods and Earth is a Religion
- Dying Prisoner’s Complaint Alleged Claim for Failure to Treat Hepatitis C
- Federal Lawsuit Filed Against Oklahoma Sheriffs – All of Them, by Derek Gilna
- Ohio: $75,000 Settlement Reached after 60-Year-Old Woman Body Slammed by Jail Guard, by Christopher Zoukis
- Newspaper Investigation Reveals Significant Problem with Life Sentences in Arizona, by Christopher Zoukis
- California: Governor Signs Bill to Block Expansion of For-profit Detention Centers, by Dale Chappell
- Washington Prisoner’s Negligence Suit Settles for $75,000
- Justice Department Failing to Assess Prison Population Reduction, Clemency and Reentry Programs, by Christopher Zoukis
- Alabama: State Agencies Have Absolute Immunity in a Court of Law or Equity
- Confusion Over Insanity Defense Leads One Jury to Issue Two Verdicts in Triple Murder, by Christopher Zoukis
- $437,500 Settlement for Brutal Beating at Missouri Jail
- The “Qualified Immunity” Doctrine Needs to be Reexamined, by Derek Gilna
- FTCA Claims Survive; PREA Policy Defeats Discretionary Function Exception, by Jeremy Pinson
- $15,000 Award for New York Prisoner in Medical Negligence Case
- Due Process Mandatory Before Texas Requires Sex Offender Registration for Crimes not Covered by Statute, by Matthew Clarke
- Indiana County Settles Jail Guard’s ADA/Discrimination Suit for $150,000, by Matthew Clarke
- Whistleblowing Angola Prisoner Who Faced Retaliation Wins Relief, Redemption
- $14.3 Million Settlement for Probationers Subject to Extortion by Private Company
- Female Prisoners More Likely to be HIV Positive than Non-prisoners, by Edward Lyon
- Former Pennsylvania Guards Settle FMLA Lawsuits for $110,000, by Derek Gilna
- $330,000 for Florida Prison Guards Abused at Training Academy
- Oregon Sex Offenders Get LWOP, Not Treatment
- Court Certifies Class of Missouri Prisoners Denied Hepatitis C Treatment, by Matthew Clarke
- New York Issues New Solitary Confinement Rules for Local Jails Amid Lawsuits, $5 Million Settlement, by Christopher Zoukis
- Seventh Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity in Jail Suicide Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Iowa Prison Officials Drop Disciplinary Sanctions in Controversial Case, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Prisoner Shot in the Eye Awarded $80,000, by Jeremy Pinson
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Denial of Medical Care Suit Against Texas County Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Massachusetts: State Court Officers May Not Enforce Immigration Detainers, by Matthew Clarke
- Tennessee: New Trial Ordered in Prisoner’s Wrongful Death Case, by Steve Horn
- As Prison Populations Drop, Several States Close Facilities, by Dale Chappell, Matthew Clarke
- Prison Mailbox Rule Applied to South Carolina Prisoner’s Late PCR Petition
- ACLU Sues Nebraska Over Unconstitutional Prison Conditions, by Matthew Clarke
- San Quentin Newspaper Editor Arnulfo Garcia Leaves a Legacy, by Dale Chappell
- Prison Chaplain Wins Standoff with BOP Over Carrying Pepper Spray, by Monte McCoin
- Judge Threatens Arizona Officials with Contempt Over Inadequate Prisoner Medical Care, by David Reutter
- New York Law Gives Reformed Offenders an Opportunity to Seal Convictions, by Derek Gilna
- California: Defendants’ Repeated Discovery Obstruction Sanctioned in Guard Sex Abuse Case
- Mother-Son Team Sentenced for Tax Fraud, Obstruction of Justice, by Derek Gilna
- “Survivors Guide to Prison,” by Matthew Cooke, director (Gravitas Ventures, February 2018); 102 minutes, by Steve Horn
- “Witness to Human Torture”: On Both Sides of the Prison Walls, Social Workers Confront Solitary Confinement, by Valerie Kiebala
- British Prison Guard Sentenced for Contraband Smuggling Conspiracy, by Monte McCoin
- PLN Censorship Suit Against Virginia Jail Headed to Trial
- New Mexico Jail Sued by HRDC for Censoring Book Orders, by Derek Gilna
- Governor Vetoes Nevada’s Anti-Private Prison Bill, by Monte McCoin
- Rash of Security Breaches Plagues Nation’s Prisons and Jails, by Christopher Zoukis
- Photos Show Aftermath of Lethal South Carolina Prison Brawl that Left Seven Dead, by Steve Horn
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Mass Incarceration is a Women’s Issue, Too, by Jessicah Pierre
- News in Brief
More from these topics:
- New York Ordered to Pay Prisoner $25,000 for Failing to Protect Him from Attack, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Protect (General), Defenses, Damages - Compensatory, Negligence/Reckless Endangerment, Deliberate Indifference.
- Oklahoma County Jail Fails 12th Health Inspection, Aug. 1, 2026. Corrections Audits, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Sanitation, Bedding.
- Report Shows Pattern of Sexual Assaults in Santa Clara County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Failure to Protect (General).
- $30,000 Settlement Reached in Virginia Jail Death That Put Richmond Lockup Under State Oversight, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- Seventh Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Detectives Who Revealed Prisoner Was Informant, Denies Him Anonymity, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Protect (General), Physical Injury Rule, Qualified Immunity, Informants (Failure to Protect), 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- The Exceptionally High Murder Rate Inside Maryland’s Prisons, Aug. 1, 2026. Prison/Jail Murders, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, Security Systems, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Multiple Detainees Escape from Dilapidated North Carolina Jail, July 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Overcrowding, Staffing, Jail Specific, Security Systems, Criminal Justice, Prison Conditions.
- Video Shows Guards Watched as Oklahoma Detainee Died in Cell, July 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Contractor Misconduct, Guard Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death).
- Washington State Supreme Court Ruling Supports Broad Immunity in Overdose Cases, June 1, 2026. Drug Overdose, Failure to Protect (General), Defenses, Immunity/Liability, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death).
- California Pays $15,000 to State Prisoner Who Claimed He Was Targeted by Guards, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Snitch Jacketing, Failure to Protect (General), Summary Judgment, Settlements.

