Allegheny County, inmate settle lawsuit over solitary confinement

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An Allegheny County Jail inmate held in solitary confinement for nearly a month will be released from solitary Sunday morning unless a review reveals additional alleged infractions of jail rules that might keep him there longer.

Dan Vasalech, 48, of Sheraden, and his lawyer, Joseph Hudak, reached a settlement of a lawsuit against Warden Orlando Harper after a brief conference Thursday before a federal magistrate judge.

Vasalech claims in his suit that he was being held in solitary solely because he said inmates should not be locked down after a jail guard had died.

He admitted the remark was “insensitive” but said he was accused of “inciting a riot” and other disruptions when nothing of the sort happened. He was placed in solitary for 45 days.

Vasalech has been in jail since Nov. 10 on child abuse charges. His trial is in August. While in jail, he and Mr. Hudak said, he did not violate any rules.

“We’re still disputing the allegations that put him in solitary,” Mr. Hudak said Thursday.

The incident that got him in trouble occurred May 17. A guard had died and the other guards were going to his funeral, so the jail was short-staffed and the prisoners were ordered to be locked down as a result.

Vasalech said they should not be locked down just because a guard died.

He said he was manhandled and then written up for “inciting a riot”