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Pennsylvania, prison guard paid $55,000 to settle inmate's Taser lawsuit
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The state of Pennsylvania and a prison guard paid $55,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former inmate of the State Correctional Institution Fayette who was shocked with a Taser 2007, according to documents the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette obtained today through a right-to-know request.
Gerald Keehn, 34, of Coatesville, Chester County, claimed that he was lured into a prison back room by corrections officers with the promise of a TV for his cell.
In the room were two corrections officers and one prisoner. Another guard came in a little later.
One of the officers, Kenneth Lucas, told Keehn that he "was going to give them all [oral sex] or get tasered," Keehn said in his deposition.
When he refused to perform the sexual act, he was shocked with a Taser, he claimed.
Keehn sued alleging cruel and unusual punishment. The Department of Corrections characterized the incident as "innocent horseplay" in filings, but settled the case in March, on the eve of trial.
The state agreed to pay $50,000 and Mr. Lucas agreed to pay $5,000, according to the settlement agreement.
Court records in the case indicated that Mr. Lucas was fired but successfully grieved that decision and returned to work with the department.
The Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project represented Keehn and will pay him the proceeds minus the costs of their legal work. A project attorney said she could not comment because the settlement agreement includes a confidentiality clause.
First Published July 5, 2012 3:05 pm
