A former inmate at the Southern Oaks Girls School in Dover, Wis. has sued the corrections facility and a former officer, claiming she was sexually abused by the officer more than three years ago.
The girl, who is now an adult living in Milwaukee, claims she suffered emotional distress because of the abuse and has had to undergo counseling because of it. She is suing for an unspecified amount of money, although court papers filed by the state put the limit she could win at $250,000.
The Journal Times does not name victims of sexual abuse.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed in June, the officer forced the girl to put her mouth on his genitals, exposed himself to her, forced her to expose herself to him and fondled her. The abuse happened in early 2001, when the girl was 15 and 16 years old.
The lawsuit also names the state Department of Corrections and Southern Oaks Girls School as defendants. The girl claims it was their job to create a safe environment that would have prevented the sexual abuse. Instead, the lawsuit claims, the officer was left alone with the girl while she dressed, undressed and went to the bathroom.
According to the lawsuit, the guard, Malcolm Liston of Milwaukee, was fired after an investigation by the corrections facility backed up the girl's allegations. But Bill Clausius, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections, said that wasn't true.
The corrections facility launched an investigation when it became aware of the allegations in 2001, Clausius said.
Liston was suspended with pay pending the outcome of that investigation, as is standard procedure. But Liston resigned on June 26 that year, before the investigation was finished, Clausius said.
In court papers filed by Liston's lawyer, Liston denied the girl's allegations. The lawyer, Russell Jones of Milwaukee, could not be reached for comment.
The Department of Corrections and Southern Oaks Girls School, represented by the Attorney General's Office, filed court papers in mid-July arguing that the lawsuit should be dismissed. In those court papers, they argued the girl hadn't exhausted administrative remedies; that they had acted in good faith; that the statute of limitations for filing the lawsuit had passed; and that they can't be liable for Liston's actions.