CHARLESTON – A woman alleges she was sexually harassed by a corrections officer while incarcerated at Western Regional Jail.
Tabatha Gardner filed a complaint in Kanawha Circuit Court against Corrections Officer Westfall, West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority and John Doe alleging that they violated the Eighth and 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that during her incarceration at defendants' Western Regional Jail, she was sexually abused, harassed and exploited by defendant Westfall.
The plaintiff holds Westfall, West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority and John Doe responsible because defendants Doe and WVRJCFA allegedly failed to ensure that she was sufficiently protected from foreseeable serious injury by defendant Westfall and failed to provide a safe confinement facility.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks compensatory and punitive damages, costs and attorney's fees and any further relief as the court may deem appropriate. She is represented by Michael A. Woelfel of Woelfel & Woelfel LLP in Huntington. The case has been assigned to Charles E. King.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 17-C-1724