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Woman who claims sexual assault at Fayette County Prison sues jail officials

By Mike Jones 3 min read
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Fayette County Prison

A Fayette County woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by other inmates at the county jail is suing prison officials claiming she was “sentenced to pain and anguish by the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and neglect” she endured.

In the 54-page federal lawsuit filed in Pittsburgh on Sept. 30, the woman claims the prison board, jail staff and leadership failed to provide a safe environment and had a culture of corruption when she allegedly was assaulted in October 2022 after being incarcerated for a probation violation.

The federal lawsuit names numerous county officials acting in their capacity on the prison board, along with a dozen high-ranking prison leaders, jail guards, supervisors, nurses and other clerical staff. The three women who were accused of sexually assaulting the plaintiff also are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

The accuser was on probation for a retail theft conviction and jailed after missing a domestic relations court hearing. Court documents allege that on Oct. 1, 2022, three other female inmates entered her cell and both physically and sexually assaulted her. The woman, whose name is included in federal court documents, is not being identified by the 无毛视频-Standard newspaper due to the nature of the alleged assault.

The lawsuit states she “screamed out for help,” but none of the four corrections officers on duty came to her aid. After the incident, she continued to shout for medical help, but none came for hours, the lawsuit claims.

The nurse who eventually treated her rebuffed her request to make a report and have the other inmates criminally charged, according to the lawsuit. Another nurse who treated her later in the morning advised her she could report the incident, and she eventually spoke to Uniontown police before being taken to Uniontown Hospital for an examination. The three inmates were charged in January 2023, but no online court documents currently exist on the state’s criminal database, indicating the cases against all three were eventually dismissed and the records expunged.

The lawsuit alleges she was worried for her safety upon returning, which was heightened by the fact her cellmate who reported the incident to jail guards was allegedly assaulted by the same inmates afterward.

“The actions and lack of action on the part of the Fayette Defendants in the aftermath of Plaintiff’s assault furthers highlights the unnerving reality that Defendants had no regard for the safety, protection, and constitutional rights of its inmates, and could not care less about the extremely dangerous subculture where sexual predator staff thrive and prey on vulnerable female inmates,” the lawsuit states.

She was released from jail two days after the incident, which jail officials claimed was due to her “Condition Requiring medical management/mental health needs,” with no mention of the incident. The four jail guards were suspended later that week following a special meeting by the county’s prison board, according to the lawsuit.

“For decades at (Fayette County Prison), a culture of abuse and corruption was perpetrated and tolerated by staff and perpetuated by those at every level within FCP, through repeated cover-ups. From inmates to guards to supervisors to counselors to superiors of every level, various abuses and risks were both known and ignored,” the lawsuit states.

The woman is alleging her Fourth, Eighth and 14th Amendment rights were violated, and she’s asking for in excess of $75,000 of damages. The accuser’s Philadelphia-based attorney, Paul Bucci, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Fayette County solicitor John Purcell said Thursday he was unaware of the federal lawsuit, but planned to look into the matter.

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