Michigan Pays $200,000 To Settle Lawsuit By Ex-Prisoner Forced To Crawl From Bed To Toilet
By Ed White, Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) - After days of trial, the state of Michigan agreed to pay $200,000 to settle a lawsuit by a double-amputee former prisoner who said her rights were violated when she was forced to crawl from her bed to a toilet while in custody.
A separate confidential settlement was made with doctors involved in Martinique Stoudemire's health care, said her attorney, Patricia Streeter. The deals came last month just before jurors were to hear closing arguments in a civil trial in federal court.
Stoudemire said she had one shower in two weeks while in segregation for an infection at a women's prison in 2006. The segregation occurred after an amputation, but she said the cell wasn't equipped for a disabled person.
"Ms. Stoudemire did testify," Streeter told The Associated Press this week. "It was a painful and very humiliating experience for her. ... It was worth it to settle the matter and let her have a clean start."
Stoudemire of Oak Park filed the lawsuit in 2007 after her release from prison for robbery. The litigation lasted nine years, mostly because the state appealed key decisions by U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow.
A federal appeals court in 2013 summarized what occurred in prison:
"Stoudemire was left to care for herself. She was forced to crawl from her bed to the toilet. On one occasion, she had to urinate into a bowl. On another occasion, she defecated on herself. The staff neglected Stoudemire's hygiene. She received only one shower during her two weeks in segregation and was required to dress her wounds herself, which put her at risk of infection."
Susan Davis, now retired, was warden at Huron Valley prison. She said she was never informed that Stoudemire's needs weren't being met.
Corrections Department spokesman Chris Gautz declined to explain why the state chose to settle the case.
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