Federal Jury Awards $2,500 to Male Wisconsin Prisoner Sexually Assaulted by Female Guard
by Matt Clarke
On February 19, 2026, a federal jury awarded $2,500 in punitive damages to a Wisconsin prisoner who was sexually assaulted by a female guard.
Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) prisoner Nate A. Lindell was incarcerated at the Columbia Correction Center when, in November 2020, he was required to move to Housing Unit 2 due to a COVID-19 quarantine measure. Ashley Suprise was working as the unit’s floor officer.
According to court documents, Suprise allowed Lindell to clean his cell before moving several large bins containing his property from a nearby dayroom into his cell. During the process, Suprise called Lindell into the unit’s meeting room “slid her hands down his pants, touched his genitals, and then bent over and pressed herself against his genitals.”
Lindell allegedly warned Suprise that she was violating the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) and Suprise threatened him should he report her conduct. Lindell then returned to moving his property, “hoping the matter would blow over” but Suprise later issued a conduct report against him to discredit him in case he reported the sexual assault. The conduct report accused Lindell of “disrespect, disruptive conduct, loitering, and disobeying orders.” He was taken to lockup.
Two video cameras, one in the dayroom and another in the hallway, recorded Lindell’s movements. Neither recorded audio.
During his disciplinary hearing, Lindell requested that the video camera footage be reviewed and was told that it had been overwritten and “did not exist.” However, the footage had actually been preserved in connection with an unrelated conduct report against another prisoner.
Lindell was disciplined and appealed. During the appeal process, the DOC Secretary returned the case to the prison “for priority investigation.” During a rehearing, the video recordings were found and reviewed. Because they did not support the conduct report, it was dismissed.
While contesting the conduct report, Lindell filed a PREA complaint against Suprise. Suprise was allegedly terminated, not for the sexual assault, but due to a criminal conviction for driving while intoxicated and possession of THC.
Lindell filed a pro se federal civil rights action against Suprise and several prison officials alleging both the sexual assault and that the prison officials knew of previous criminal action by Suprise and failed to take action or failed to properly investigate the sexual assault or conduct report. The court granted most of the defendants summary judgment, dismissing the claims against all the defendants except Surprise. See: Lindell v. Fuchs, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 265720 (W.D. Wisc.).
A jury trial was held with Suprise as the sole defendant and Lindell representing himself. In a Special Verdict, the jury found that, by a preponderance of the evidence, Lindell proved that Suprise had violated his constitutional rights and awarded him $1 in nominal damages. The jury also found that Lindell had proven by a preponderance of the evidence that Suprise’s conduct was malicious or in reckless disregard off his rights and awarded him $2,500 in punitive damages. See: Lindell v. Suprise, U.S.D.C. (W.D. Wisc.), Case No. 3:23-cv-00805-amb.
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Related legal case
Lindell v. Suprise, U.S.D.C.
| Year | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Cite | (W.D. Wisc.), Case No. 3:23-cv-00805-amb |
| Level | District Court |