Prison inmate wins abuse suit against jail

A state prison inmate with a history of filing lawsuits against the government was awarded nearly $300,000 by a federal court jury last week on his claims that he was abused at the Allegheny County Jail a dozen years ago.

Andre Jacobs, a Harrisburg native incarcerated at the state prison in Albion, Erie County, had filed the suit in 2008, accusing police, jail guards and jail supervisors of violating his civil rights in 2005 and 2006, when he was a jail inmate.

Representing himself, Jacobs called numerous other inmates to testify on his behalf during the trial, which started June 6 before U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti and concluded June 21.

Jacobs had originally sued 25 defendants.

Some were dismissed and jurors found in favor of others.

But the eight-person jury ruled for Jacobs on many of his claims of retaliation, excessive force and violations of due process against a variety of current and former defendants, including former warden Ramon Rustin, deputy warden William Emerick, a county police officer and several guards.

The county was also found liable for failing to supervise and discipline its employees.

The jury awarded Jacobs a total of $295,000 in compensatory damages, pain and suffering and punitive damages.

He was asking for $5 million.

Before the trial began, he had sent out a news release that said his case “centers on a work culture [at the jail] where supervisors authorize sexual abuse and retaliation against prisoners and staff to terrorize them for exposing staff corruption.”

Andrew Szefi, the county solicitor, said the jury had a difficult task of sifting through allegations from more than a decade ago.

“While we thank them for their service and attention,” he said, “we disagree with their conclusions and will be considering appeal options going forward.”