County prison staff sued over alleged attack on food service worker by guard
A former food service worker in the Fayette County Prison is suing prison staff in federal court, claiming she was assaulted by a corrections officer in August 2013 and administrators failed to prevent the alleged attack.
Juliann Puckett, represented by attorney Noah Geary, filed the civil suit on Monday, alleging corrections officer Lori Chapman, without provocation, repeatedly slammed her against a gate separating the prison’s control room and kitchen, and then threw her to the ground.
The suit names as defendants Chapman, Warden Brian Miller, Deputy Wardens Michael Zavada and Barry Croftcheck, and two other corrections officers known only as “Mike” and “Bobby”.
Puckett was an employee of Trinity Services Group Inc., which was contracted by the county to to provide inmate food services, the suit states. Trinity Services Group is no longer under contract with the county.
“During the course of the plaintiff’s work at the prison, defendant Chapman developed an intense dislike for the plaintiff,” Geary wrote, claiming Chapman was verbally abusive toward Puckett.
According to the suit, on Aug. 3, 2013, Puckett was passing through the control room on the way to the kitchen, the only route to get to that station, and Chapman allegedly began “screaming at the plaintiff words to the effect, ‘Get your fat (expletive) in that kitchen!'”
Geary alleges Chapman then adjusted a security camera on the wall away from the alleged activity, “so that it would not capture the assault on the prison video surveillance system.”
Puckett reportedly suffered injuries to her spine, hip, head, brain, knee, chest, shoulders and eye, the suit states, and has already racked up over $187,405 in medical bills as a result.
Prior to the alleged attack, Geary contended Puckett reported specific physically violent threats Chapman allegedly made toward her to Miller, Zavada and Croftcheck multiple times. Despite the alleged warnings, administrators continued to schedule Chapman and Puckett to work at the same time, the suit states.
“The scheduling of Chapman to work right next to the plaintiff was unnecessary,” Geary wrote. “These defendants could have scheduled Chapman to work in the annex, which is a building separate from the main jail; had she been assigned to the annex, Chapman would have had no access to the plaintiff.”
According to the complaint, the corrections officer known only as “Mike” allegedly shut the gate separating the control room from the kitchen at Chapman’s direction, thereby essentially trapping Chapman in the room with Puckett.
The corrections officer known as “Bobby” allegedly shouted words of encouragement to Chapman during the alleged assault.
Puckett is seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory damages in the suit.
When reached for comment Monday, Miller acknowledged there was an altercation, and said the matter was turned over to Uniontown police. According to court records, Chapman was never criminally charged in relation to the alleged incident.