Cheryl Weimar, an inmate at the Lowell Correctional Institution, has filed a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections, claiming she was beaten nearly to death by prison guards.
The incident occurred on August 21. Weimar was asked to clean a toilet at the Lowell facility as part of a work detail even though she had a pre-existing hip condition that prevented her from being able to do this job.
She allegedly requested and was denied a “reasonable accommodation for her physical disability in connection with her prison work assignment” and “a confrontation ensued.”
“Under FDC policy and procedure, prison officials should have called medical personnel to intervene once Plaintiff Cheryl Weimar declared an inmate medical emergency,” the lawsuit says. “The more Plaintiff Cheryl Weimar complained of her physical condition, the more angry, aggressive, and violent the John Doe Defendants became. “
The lawsuit alleges that the guards eventually “snapped”.
“One or more of the John Doe Defendants slammed Plaintiff Cheryl Weimar to the ground” and “while down, they brutally beat her with blows to her head, neck, and back,” it continues. “At least one John Doe Defendant elbowed Plaintiff Cheryl Weimar in the back of her neck, causing her to suffer a broken neck.”
According to the lawsuit, the beating resulted in Weimar becoming a quadriplegic who has to breathe and be fed through tubes.
“She is going to need lifelong care, around-the-clock care for the rest of her life,” said her attorney Ryan Andrews.
“It was one of the most sad meetings with a client I ever had – she couldn’t talk… I had to write the alphabet out so she could nod and wink and tell me what to do,” he added. “It’s the worst case of prison abuse in Florida I’ve ever seen.”
Weimar has been in prison since 2015 for slashing her ex-boyfriend with a knife and resisting arrest. She is scheduled to be released in 2021.
Weimar is seeking “compensatory damages, including for permanent physical injury, disfigurement, and emotional pain and suffering… for attorney’s fees and costs incurred in connection with this litigation, and for such other relief as this court deems appropriate.”
For information about personal injury claims, visit Cohen & Cohen, P.C.
