If you were sexually abused or assaulted by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy, jail staff member, or volunteer while serving time at the Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF) in Lynwood, California, you may be eligible to pursue legal action and a financial recovery of your damages.
New laws in California may allow survivors who were sexually abused as adults to take advantage of new legal pathways to file civil claims against abusers and the institutions that failed them – even if the abuse occurred many years ago.
At Levy Konigsberg, our nationally recognized trial lawyers are leading the fight for former female inmates abused at California jails and prisons. We currently represent women who were formerly incarcerated at the Lynwood women’s jail and are actively reviewing claims from others.
If you believe you have a potential CRDF sexual abuse lawsuit, we want to help. Call (800) 315-3806 or contact us online for a FREE and confidential consultation.
Century Regional Detention Facility’s History of Sexual Abuse
Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF) is a women’s jail located in Lynwood, California. Also known as the Lynwood jail or Los Angeles jail for women, CRDF has housed all female inmates in Los Angeles County who are awaiting arraignment or trial since 2006. It is one of seven jails operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LACSD).
As with other women’s jails and prisons in California, CRDF has earned a reputation as a facility where officials failed to protect female inmates from rampant sexual abuse at the hands of Sheriff’s Deputies.
This reputation is supported by years of substantiated claims from female inmates, as well as criminal cases against Deputies, public audits, civil lawsuits, and high-profile settlements.
Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Audit Finds CRDF Failed on Nearly Every Safety Standard
In March 2018, the Los Angeles Times published a preliminary report of the CRDF’s compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), a 2003 law that requires basic safeguards to protect inmates from sexual assault and harassment.
The leaked report found that the Lynwood jail failed on nearly every standard required under the PREA, failed to properly investigate and document incidents of sexual misconduct between male staff and female inmates, and enabled a toxic culture in which inmates feared retaliation for stepping forward with their claims.
Some notable findings from the report:
- Auditors found that the facility met just 2 of 43 safety standards required under the PREA
- Auditors noted several issues during an October 2017 on-site review, including a lack of privacy for female inmates while they showered and changed in their cells.
- Auditors documented that they faced resistance from administrators who denied their requests to review investigative, grievance, personnel, medical, and mental health files.
- Auditors stated that it was unclear whether allegations of sexual misconduct between staff and inmates were systematically recorded.
- The report included many recommendations for corrective action, including expansive overhauls in prevention planning, responsive planning, training and education, risk screening, reporting, handling of inmate complaints, investigations, discipline, medical and mental health care, and data collection and review.
Criminal Cases and Civil Lawsuits
Sexual abuse at CRDF in Lynwood is also documented in various criminal cases against guards and civil lawsuits brought by inmates.
- In July 2020, Roy’ce Bass was arrested and charged with four counts of engaging in sexual activity with a detainee after an investigation into misconduct with at least one inmate while he was a custody assistant at CRDF between August 2017 and January 2018.
- In September 2019, LACSD Deputy Giancarlo Scotti was sentenced to two years in prison as part of a plea deal in which the former deputy pleaded no contest to engaging in sexual activity with female inmates. Scotti had been charged with sexually assaulting six female inmates, whose ages ranged from 24 to 42, while he was a guard at CRDF. The County ultimately reached several high-profile settlements with women assaulted by Scotti. For example:
- In February 2019, the Los Angeles County of Board of Supervisors agreed to pay $950,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a former CRDF inmate who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Deputy Giancarlo Scotti during her incarceration.
- In October 2019, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors authorized a $325,000 payout to settle claims brought by another victim of Deputy Giancarlo Scotti.
- In November 2018, the County agreed to pay a total of $3.9 million to settle a lawsuit brought by two former CRDF inmates and a potential suit by a third inmate who claimed they were sexually assaulted by Deputy Giancarlo Scotti in 2017 and that LACSD officials were aware of Scotti’s assaults on numerous inmates, but failed to stop him. One of the lawsuits, which settled for $2.25 million, alleged that Scotti forced an inmate to expose herself and perform oral sex on him, and that Scotti entered another inmate’s cell, ordered her to the showers, and forced her to engage in oral sex before raping her. The suit also alleged that Scotti threatened one of the victims to remain quiet about the abuse and that both inmates had certain privileges taken away after they reported the incidents. Another claim involving a third inmate was settled for $1.65 million.
- In February 2019, the Los Angeles County of Board of Supervisors agreed to pay $950,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a former CRDF inmate who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Deputy Giancarlo Scotti during her incarceration.
- In May 2019, The Guardian published an article about recent settlements paid by Los Angeles County over sexual abuse at CRDF, and featured the story of a former inmate who was motivated to become an activist with the grassroots organization Dignity and Power Now after she was assaulted and abused by two different employees during her incarceration at CRDF in 2011. The article also shared insight from other former female inmates about their time at the Lynwood jail. This includes reports of guards exchanging favors or special privileges for sexual acts, sexual relationships between inmates and deputies, and an incident in which a medical staffer masturbated in front of a female inmate.
How We Can Help Lynwood Jail Sexual Abuse Survivors
New laws in California may provide victims who were sexually abused or assaulted as adults new opportunities to file civil lawsuits against their abusers and the institutions which failed to protect them – even if those claims would have been previously barred by the statute of limitations.
Your ability to pursue a claim under California’s new sexual abuse law will depend on factors unique to your case, including when the abuse occurred. In many cases, time will be extremely limited. As such, we encourage anyone with a potential claim to contact our firm as soon as possible to review their eligibility and options.
Leading the Fight for Sexually Abused Female Inmates
Levy Konigsberg is a nationally renowned civil trial practice with a reputation for handling the most complex and consequential cases. We’ve won millions in compensation for sex abuse victims and have prevailed in claims against perpetrators and powerful institutions across the country.
As leaders in this field, we are representing a growing number of survivors with claims that can now be filed under new laws that empower survivors of sexual abuse. We’re trusted by former female inmates and by colleagues with complex cases because we know how to produce results.
Reasons why we’re a trusted firm:
- Over $3 billion in compensation recovered for clients.
- Proven results and millions in verdicts and settlements for sex abuse victims.
- Record-setting recoveries in some of the nation’s most complex and high-profile cases.
- Award-winning trial lawyers named in Super Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America.
Learn more about our work representing female sex abuse victims in California prisons or read the NY Daily News’ coverage of one our cases against the prison system.
Request a FREE Review of Your Case: (800) 315-3806
Levy Konigsberg has extensive experience fighting for victims of sexual abuse and values our clients’ privacy, which is why we offer FREE and confidential consultations. We also handle cases on contingency, which means there is no cost to hire our firm and no fee unless we win.
If you would like to discuss a potential lawsuit involving sexual abuse that occurred during your time at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, please call (800) 315-3806 or contact us online to speak with a lawyer.
