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$90,000 Settlement for Alabama Prisoners Raped by Jail Guards
In June 2002, the City of Homewood, Alabama, paid a total of $90,000 to
settle with two unidentified women who claimed they were forced to provide
sexual favors to guards while imprisoned at the city jail.
The plaintiffs, Jane Doe, 32, and Janet Doe, 22, alleged that while
incarcerated at the Homewood city jail in April and September 1999, guards
forced them to perform nonconsensual sex acts. The plaintiffs claimed a
history of such behavior at the jail, both by defendants Doug Crowder and
Darrell Sykes and by other jail guards and employees. Though supervisors
knew or should have known what was happening because of past incidents at
the jail, the plaintiffs contended, Crowder and Sykes were permitted to
work together on the same shift with no matron to guard the female prisoners.
A verdict for the plaintiffs was entered in the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of Alabama on May 14, 2002, and the city settled for
$90,000 ($45,000 for each plaintiff) in June 2002.
The plaintiffs were represented by Wendy B. Crew and Sybil Howell of the
Birmingham law firm Crew & Associates. Attorney Crew noted the settlement
was originally confidential but became public after the Birmingham News
obtained information about the settlement because it was paid with public
monies. See: Doe v. City of Homewood, USDC ND AL, Case No. 00-C-2948-5.
settle with two unidentified women who claimed they were forced to provide
sexual favors to guards while imprisoned at the city jail.
The plaintiffs, Jane Doe, 32, and Janet Doe, 22, alleged that while
incarcerated at the Homewood city jail in April and September 1999, guards
forced them to perform nonconsensual sex acts. The plaintiffs claimed a
history of such behavior at the jail, both by defendants Doug Crowder and
Darrell Sykes and by other jail guards and employees. Though supervisors
knew or should have known what was happening because of past incidents at
the jail, the plaintiffs contended, Crowder and Sykes were permitted to
work together on the same shift with no matron to guard the female prisoners.
A verdict for the plaintiffs was entered in the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of Alabama on May 14, 2002, and the city settled for
$90,000 ($45,000 for each plaintiff) in June 2002.
The plaintiffs were represented by Wendy B. Crew and Sybil Howell of the
Birmingham law firm Crew & Associates. Attorney Crew noted the settlement
was originally confidential but became public after the Birmingham News
obtained information about the settlement because it was paid with public
monies. See: Doe v. City of Homewood, USDC ND AL, Case No. 00-C-2948-5.
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Related legal case
Doe v. City of Homewood
| Year | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Cite | USDC ND AL, Case No. 00-C-2948-5 |
| Level | District Court |
| Conclusion | Settlement |
| Attorney Fees | 0 |
| Damages | 90000 |
| Injunction Status | N/A |
no case text