The city and county of Denver, Colorado, are facing a civil lawsuit after a former jail inmate says law enforcement officers facilitated a vicious attack by other inmates.
According to the complaint, as shared by local news outlet Westword, Jamal Hunter was jailed on a "misdemeanor domestic charge" in April of 2011. He claims he was inappropriately placed in a high-security cell pod with seven inmates facing charges far more severe than his own. Hunter also says the deputies in charge did nothing to address frequent gambling, fighting and wrestling matches.
On July 18, 2011, Hunter says his fellow inmates confronted him, accusing him of "snitching" and talking about them behind their backs. They allegedly tied him up and brutally beat him, then took him to the shower where they poured scalding hot water on his genitals, resulting in second- and third-degree burns. Hunter says in the lawsuit that none of the detention center officials tried to intervene or stop the attack.
Hunter and his attorneys say that because he expressed concern over the way he was treated in the jail, he became a target of law enforcement officials. At one point, a deputy allegedly attacked him, as seen in a security video that has since been released to the public.
In a dramatic development, the defense lawyers representing the city and county recently quit, without explanation.
If you have the been the victim of an attack while in official custody, and you believe law enforcement is directly or indirectly responsible, you may have the right to seek civil damages. You should call the free consultation lawyers at The Meyers Law Firm as soon as possible.