The attorney representing incarcerated women filmed while being strip-searched will appeal their lawsuit after it was thrown out of court. The case involves incidents at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti
Washtenaw County Judge Julia Owdziej last week dismissed with prejudice the $500 million suit against the Michigan Department of Corrections. She ruled that since the women didn’t suffer physical injuries, they couldn’t sue under the state’s Prison Litigation Reform Act.
Attorney Todd Flood calls the ruling "poppycock," and that his clients’ mental anguish is an injury.
“You get traumatized. You lose sleep. You get headaches. You get anxiety. You get tremors. All of those things are physical in nature. Think about intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
In a statement, Corrections spokesperson Jenni Riehle says department policy requires body-worn cameras be inactive during searches unless there is a qualifying event, such as the discovery of contraband.
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