Two more Lackawanna County (Pa.) Prison inmates have filed federal civil rights lawsuits against the jail, one claiming he was beaten by officers and the other saying he is being denied proper medical treatment.
The U.S. District Court complaints by Edward Gordon and Wesley Allen Herring bring the number of federal suits filed by county prisoners to at least nine since July. Both handwritten complaints were filed without the aid of an attorney.
In his complaint, Mr. Gordon alleges he was removed from his cell on April 26, 2003, and taken to the middle of the cellblock, where he was kicked by several corrections officers while handcuffed. The complaint alleges a prison administrator participated in the incident.
Mr. Gordon, 35, who is originally from Philadelphia, said he was then placed in the restricted housing unit, where he was stripped to his underwear and forced to remain for several days while he was physically abused "by many different guards."
Named as defendants in the Feb. 5 complaint are former Warden Thomas P. Gilhooley, other prison administrators and corrections officers.
Mr. Gordon, who was convicted April 12 of robbery and related charges for an Oct. 14, 2000, holdup at Glint of Gold in South Scranton, is seeking $5 million in damages.
Mr. Herring, in an unrelated suit filed last Monday, alleges he is becoming progressively more ill and "cannot make a very necessary decision to prolong my life" because of medical negligence by the prison and its health care provider.
In addition to the prison and staff members, the complaint names Primecare, the jail's health care provider, along with two Primecare employees and two Scranton Counseling Center doctors.
Mr. Herring, who was convicted in December in connection with an attempted robbery June 8 in Scranton, does not specify his medical condition in his complaint. He is asking the court to order the defendants to meet his medical needs and for unspecified punitive damages.
A Lackawanna County grand jury is investigating allegations of prisoner abuse at the jail.