A pregnant woman who was raped by a Milwaukee County Jail guard while she was in custody has been awarded $6.7 million by a federal jury.
The woman, who was 19 at the time, was repeatedly raped by Milwaukee County Jail guard Xavier Thicklen while she was an inmate at the facility four years ago. Thicklen has been fired and reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, but the county is liable because he was on the job when the assaults occurred.
The woman’s attorneys had also argued that her constitutional rights were violated, and her life and the life of her baby were put at risk, when she was placed in shackles during childbirth. Although the jury did conclude there was no legitimate reason for the woman to be placed in shackles, they found the restraints did not cause the victim any harm.
