Life in Women Prison (Detroit)
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The State of Michigan has agreed to pay $100 million to settle a class-action by more than 500 female prisoners who said they were sexually assaulted by prison guards.
The deal, reached Wednesday in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, ends a legal battle that has raged since 1996.
As part of the settlement, the state has agreed to drop its appeal of two earlier verdicts for 18 of the women totaling nearly $24 million. Those women will be paid from Wednesday's settlement.
The Free Press chronicled the alleged abuse in January in a series that focused on Toni Bunton, who was awarded $3.45 million in damages.
"This is a good deal for the state," said Deborah LaBelle, the women's lawyer. "If we tried all of these, the cost to the state would have been a billion dollars."
The payments will be made over five years.
In February 2008, 10 prisoners, including Bunton, were awarded $15.5 million for abuse by guards at Scott Correctional Facility in Wayne County.
In November, a second jury awarded eight women $8.4 million for abuse at Crane Correctional Facility in Coldwater. After interest and attorney fees were estimated, the two verdicts could have cost Michigan taxpayers more than $50 million. Prison officials had repeatedly said taxpayers would not end up paying any money.
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