Female Inmates Win $116M Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

HIGHLIGHTS:

• US government to pay $116 million to over 100 victims of sexual abuse at a federal prison in California
• The settlement marks as the initial wave of the Bureau’s ongoing lawsuits related to the same case
• BOP condemns the sexual abuse, saying it takes its duty seriously to safeguard inmates and employees

The US government has agreed to pay $116 million to settle sexual abuse claims filed by over 100 female inmates who were sexually abused at a now-defunct federal prison in California.

The settlement approved on Tuesday, will pay $1.1 million each to 103 women who sued the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) over abuse at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin. The settlement marked as the first wave in a series of multiple lawsuits related to the same case against the BOP.

The agreements were finalized on the same day a federal judge was scheduled to approve a separate settlement which mandated the BOP to allow a court-appointed monitor into certain facilities. It also required the BOP to publicly acknowledge the abuse.

“We were sentenced to prison, we were not sentenced to be assaulted and abused,” said Aimee Chavira, a plaintiff and former inmate.

“I hope this settlement will help survivors, like me, as they begin to heal—but money will not repair the harm that BOP did to us, or free survivors who continue to suffer in prison, or bring back survivors who were deported and separated from their families,” she added.

The settlements were reached through a third-party process that involved in-depth interviews with each woman involved.

BOP Condemns Sexual Abuse

In a statement, the BOP acknowledged the settlements, saying that it “strongly condemns all forms of sexually abusive behavior.” It said it was committed to the safety and protection of both inmates and its employees.

The settlement addresses the initial lawsuits stemming from the sexual abuse by former warden Ray Garcia and other staff members at the prison.

Garcia and several other employees were convicted and sentenced for the abuse. However, other lawsuits related to the same issues remain unresolved.

The agreements came after a detailed investigative report by the Associated Press, which uncovered a longstanding culture of abuse and cover-ups at the facility. This investigation led to increased scrutiny from Congress and promises from the BOP to overhaul its practices and improve conditions at the prison.

Since 2021, at least eight employees at FCI Dublin have been charged with sexually abusing inmates. Of those, five have pleaded guilty, two were convicted at trial, and one case is still pending.

The lawsuits were filed with the assistance of advocacy groups, including the California Coalition for Women Prisoners, Dublin Prison Solidarity Coalition, the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, and others, which have all played a key role in supporting the survivors and bringing attention to the systemic abuse at the prison.