Current:Home > NewsWife of California inmate wins $5.6 million in settlement for strip search -Achieve Wealth Network
Wife of California inmate wins $5.6 million in settlement for strip search
View
Date:2025-04-15 10:58:23
The wife of a California inmate will receive $5.6 million after being sexually violated during a strip search when she tried to visit her husband in prison, her attorneys said Monday.
After traveling four hours to see her husband at a correctional facility in Tehachapi, Calif. on Sept. 6, 2019, Christina Cardenas was subject to a strip search by prison officials, drug and pregnancy tests, X-ray and CT scans at a hospital, and another strip search by a male doctor who sexually violated her, a lawsuit said.
“My motivation in pursuing this lawsuit was to ensure that others do not have to endure the same egregious offenses that I experienced,” Cardenas said.
Of the $5.6 million settlement, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will pay $3.6 million and the rest will be paid by the other defendants, which include two correctional officers, a doctor, and the Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley hospital.
Prison officials conducted their searches on the basis of a warrant, which said a strip search could only be conducted if an X-ray found any foreign objects that could be contraband in Cardenas’ body, her attorneys said. However, neither the X-ray or CT scan found any evidence of such.
She was also put in handcuffs in a “humiliating perp walk” while being taken to and from the hospital, and denied water or use of a bathroom during the majority of the search process. She was told she had to pay for the hospital’s services and later received invoices for a combined total of more than $5,000. Despite no contraband being found in any of her belongings or her body, Cardenas was denied her visit with her husband.
One of the prison officials asked her, “Why do you visit, Christina? You don’t have to visit. It’s a choice, and this is part of visiting,” according to Cardenas.
“We believe the unknown officer’s statement was a form of intimidation used to dismiss Christina’s right to visit her lawful husband during the course of his incarceration,” Cardenas’ attorney Gloria Allred said.
Cardenas also had to undergo a strip search during a previous visit to marry her husband, and continued to experience difficulties during her visits to him, though not to the same extent as the Sept. 6, 2019 incident. Her husband remains in custody today.
The settlement also requires the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to distribute a policy memorandum to employees that better protects the rights of visitors who have to undergo strip searches. This includes ensuring the search warrant is read and understood by the visitor, that the visitor receives a copy of the warrant, that the scope of the warrant is read and understood by everyone involved, and the scope of the warrant is not exceeded.
Cardenas is not alone in what she experienced from correctional officers, Allred said, and hopes this case will help protect the rights of spouses and family members who visit their loved ones in prison.
California prisons have faced an ongoing problem of sexual abuse and misconduct, with the the U.S. Justice Department announcing it had opened an investigation into allegations that correctional officers systematically sexually abused incarcerated women at two state-run California prisons.
Earlier this year the federal Bureau of Prisons announced it will close a women’s prison in Northern California known as the “rape club” after an Associated Press investigation exposed rampant sexual abuse by correctional officers.
veryGood! (3191)
Related
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- 2 killed in Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine that also damage Kherson city center
- Looking for a baked salmon recipe? What to know about internal temp, seasoning, more.
- Feds accuse 3 people of illegally shipping tech components used in weapons to Russia
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Where are the Black punks now?
- 'Bridgerton' actor had 'psychotic breaks' while on show, says Netflix offered 'no support'
- Red Wings' Danny DeKeyser trades skates for sales in new job as real-estate agent
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Australia cannot strip citizenship from man over his terrorism convictions, top court says
Ranking
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Has Israel invaded Gaza? The military has been vague, even if its objectives are clear
- South Korean auto parts maker plans $176M plant in Georgia to supply Hyundai facility, hiring 460
- Police seek suspect in Southern California restaurant shooting that injured 4
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- North Dakota woman arrested for allegedly killing boyfriend with poison; police cite financial motives
- Orsted scraps 2 offshore wind power projects in New Jersey, citing supply chain issues
- New Mexico attorney general accuses landowners of preventing public access to the Pecos River
Recommendation
Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
Robert De Niro loses temper during testimony at ex-assistant's trial: 'This is all nonsense!'
Samuel Adams Utopias returns: Super-strong beer illegal in 15 states available again
Dumped, Not Recycled? Electronic Tracking Raises Questions About Houston’s Drive to Repurpose a Full Range of Plastics
The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
Prosecutors in Manny Ellis trial enter its 5th week by questioning his closest allies
Australia cannot strip citizenship from man over his terrorism convictions, top court says
Germany’s president has apologized for colonial-era killings in Tanzania over a century ago