U.S. District Court: SEXUAL ASSAULT OFFICER ON PRISONER ASSAULT.

• Position: Brief Article

Carrigan v. Davis, 70 F.Supp.2d 448 (D.Del. 1999). A female prison inmate brought a [sections] 1983 action against a former correction officer alleging he sexually assaulted her. After a jury trial the district court entered judgment for the inmate as a matter of law, finding that sexual intercourse between the officer and the inmate constituted a per se violation of the inmate's Eighth Amendment rights because such conduct violated contemporary standards of decency. The court also held that...