A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a former inmate who accuses corrections officers of recording the delivery of her baby.
The lawsuit was filed by Flood Law on behalf of Natalie Forrest, a former inmate at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Pittsfield Township. Five officers are named along with Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) Director Heidi Washington, Deputy Director Jeremy Bush and the prison’s warden, Jeremy Howard.
Attorney Maura Battersby says despite a warning that recording undressed women is a felony, the policy continued 18 days after the birth of Forrest’s son at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital.
“That’s the big question, right? How they could possibly justify doing so? It’s stunning! It is without any real justification!”
The recordings are alleged to have included active labor, cervical exams, childbirth and breastfeeding. The suit seeks a jury trial along with compensatory and punitive damages.
WEMU reached out to MDOC for comment but has not received a response.
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