Lawsuit alleges Boyle inmate was strapped to chair, board for hours
Published 8:39 am Tuesday, March 6, 2018
A Boyle County man has sued the Boyle County Fiscal Court and jail, alleging he was restrained by jail staff without reason in a chair and on a back board for a total of more than 12 hours.
In a complaint filed Feb. 21, Tyler Tudor claims jail staff, and by extension the jailer and the fiscal court, committed “law violations including but not limited to false imprisonment, battery (and) intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
A response has not been filed to the suit; Boyle County Attorney Lynne Dean said the county’s insurance carrier has been contacted as is standard practice, and outside counsel is being assigned to represent the county and jail. Dean said she could not comment further on pending litigation.
Tudor’s suit names the fiscal court, jail, Jailer Barry Harmon and “unknown corrections officers” as defendants. It alleges Tudor was incarcerated in the Boyle County Detention Center on June 29, 2017, when he was “forcefully strapped into a restraint chair by the unknown defendant.”
Tudor “remained in the restraint chair for over six and a half hours,” the suit claims. “Plaintiff repeatedly asked to be released from the restraints, but the unknown defendants refused to assist.”
The suit then alleges that on June 30, 2017, “after being in the restraint chair for over six and a half hours, (Tudor) was taken from his cell by the unknown defendants.”
“(Tudor) was then taken by the unknown defendants to another cell, where he was strapped to a back board for over six hours,” the suit claims. “… (Tudor) is unaware of any conduct which would have caused him to be placed in the restraint chair for a prolonged period of time. … (Tudor) is unaware of any detention center policy that was violated on June 30, 2017, which would warrant him being strapped to a back board for approximately six hours.”
Tudor claims the actions of the defendants violated his Constitutional rights and constituted “cruel and unusual punishment.”
The suit lists three counts it argues the defendants are guilty of: false imprisonment, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Tudor alleges the actions were “intended to harm” him, “malicious in nature” and “outrageous, extreme and intolerable in violation of the norms of civilized society.”
Tudor’s suit asks a judge to award “compensatory damages for emotional distress and all other damages available to (Tudor)” and “summons a jury to address all issues.” It also seeks attorney’s fees and “any and all legal or equitable relief to which (Tudor) may be entitled.”
Edward E. Dove, a Lexington attorney, is representing Tudor and filed the suit.