Inmate Injured Working in Laundry May Sue Prison Employees

Two prison employees must face a claim filed against them by an inmate who was injured while they were overseeing her unload a laundry truck, the Sixth Circuit said.

Kelly Jane Rhodes was working as a porter in the Michigan prison laundry for two days when she was injured. She received no training but was expected to load and unload laundry carts, which could weigh up to 400 pounds. On the day she was injured the truck driver was Richard Jones and the hydraulic lift gate operator was Paul McPherson.

Rhodes doesn’t remember the incident, but other porters testified that ...