Transgender Inmate Sexually Assaulted 3 Times At Rikers: Suit

New York City NY

07 February, 2022

12:08 PM

Description

NEW YORK CITY — A transgender woman suffered three brutal sexual assaults by Rikers Island inmates because officials kept her at an all-male facility, according to a new civil lawsuit. The gross negligence complaint filed by the woman accuses Rikers guards of failing to protect her. It details three sexual attacks that the woman said she endured during June and December 2020. "At no point between any of the three incidents did the Defendants take any measures to ensure the safety of Plaintiff despite being put on notice," the lawsuit states. The lawsuit is only the latest filing to detail harsh conditions at Rikers and point the finger at jail officials. The jail system is "persistently dysfunctional" and staff often lack elementary skills, a recent federal monitor report found. The transgender woman's lawsuit accuses guards of "negligence, carelessness and recklessness" that led to her being sexually assaulted. The first attack unfolded on June 12, 2020, when the lawsuit states she was choked to unconsciousness and sexually assaulted. Another attack occurred on Dec. 9, 2020, the lawsuit states. This time, another inmate sexually assaulted her by knife point, according to the complaint. The final incident happened on Dec. 16, 2020, when the woman was threatened with a scalpel, choked and sexually assaulted, the lawsuit states. The woman's lawsuit was first reported by the New York Daily News.