Williams Cedar along with co-counsel Barry Corrado & Grassi PC, Mark B. Frost & Associates, and Stark & Stark, PC, is proud to announce the $20.8 Million settlement in a case involving the prison sexual abuse and physical abuse of inmates at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections.
The $20,835,600 in damages and attorney fees will be distributed amongst women who were directly impacted by the prison sexual abuse and sexual misconduct at the Edna Mahan facility between 2014 and the date at which the settlement agreement was signed.
Previously in April of 2020, the Department of Justice had issued a Investigation Report that found that prison sexual abuse had been a longstanding problem at the prison that the administration had failed to address. The DOJ cited multiple examples of investigations, convictions, guilty pleas, etc. that are corroborative of the allegation supporting that overriding claim. This settlement also comes less than eight months after the trial court ruled that the plaintiffs satisfied the requirements for class-action treatment. The litigation alleged at its core that that inmates at the New Jersey’s only women’s prison were subjected to a longstanding and pervasive atmosphere of prison sexual abuse that had gone unchecked for years.
“Coming to a resolution that both compensates past victims and works to prevent future victims would not have been possible without the bravery of the women who came forward, the tireless efforts of the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, and the willingness from the legislature, courts, and, ultimately, from the Department of Corrections itself to listen to the victims,” said Williams Cedar attorney Shauna Friedman. Ms. Friedman also lauded the settlement team of attorneys for collaboratively addressing numerous issues at the prison, and hopes this settlement represents a commitment by the current administration to squarely face and work through the problems that have plagued Edna Mahan.
Also included in the settlement is the institution of body cameras to be worn by the NJDOC staff. This step was an important step in the development of safer confinement conditions in all NJDOC facilities moving forward.
Read the full NJDOC release.