Woman Assaulted During Strip Search Receives $5.6 Million In Settlement Against US Prison Officials

A woman from California has been given $5.6 million after she was sexually assaulted during a strip search while visiting her husband in prison. The incident took place in September 2019 at a Jail in Tehachapi.

Christina Cardenas was driven four hours to see her husband. To be transported, she had to submit herself to being strip-searched, tested for drugs, pregnancy, and other internal medical screenings. During one of these procedures, Christina was sexually assaulted by a male doctor.

I am filing this lawsuit to ensure no one else ever goes through that terrible scenario I went through," Mrs. Cardenas told CBS News.

This settlement, paid by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and some individual defendants, will provide Mrs. Cardenas with substantial money for the harm she suffered.

Prison Officials Accused Of Intimidation

The suit said the searches were overly invasive, even though the warrant allowed strip searches only after X-rays or CT scans detected illegal items. Even after many scans came up negative for any illegal items, Mrs. Cardenas was taken through humiliating and invasive procedures.

Mrs. Cardenas was subjected to other forms of mistreatment, apart from sexual assault: lack of access to water, denial of access to the bathroom, excessive fees charged for the different medical procedures administered on her.

Her lawyers said the prison officials had been trying to intimidate her and discourage her from coming to see her husband. They noted that the invasive searches and sexual assault were in direct contravention of her rights. The settlement is for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to implement new regulations aimed at safeguarding visitors during strip searches. These regulations will make sure that the visitors are informed of their rights.

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