(WXYZ) — A $500 million lawsuit filed in Washtenaw County Circuit Court accuses Michigan Department of Corrections officials at the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility of instructing guards to use body cameras during routine strip searches at the state's only women's prison.
The suit, filed by attorneys Todd Flood, Allexa Otto, and Katherine Kobilijak, names the Michigan Department of Corrections, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, MDOC Director Heidi Washington, Deputy Director Jeremy Bush, Warden Jeremy Howard, Assistant Deputy Warden Steve Horton, and numerous other officials. The case has been brought on behalf of 20 women, but attorneys 500 women are expected to join in the case, which alleges multiple violations, including:
- Invasion of Privacy (Intrusion Upon Seclusion)
- Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
- Sex-Based Discrimination under Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act
- Violations of Michigan Constitutional Rights
The suit alleges that beginning in January 2025, MDOC forced women to be illegally video recorded while nude during strip searches, showering, using toilets, and in other states of undress. It also contends this process has continued despite MDOC amending policy in March 2025 to prohibit recording during strip searches.
“What these women continue to endure is nothing short of horrific. This case exposes a grotesque abuse of power that directly retraumatizes survivors of sexual assault,” said Flood in a news release. “Despite multiple warnings about the policy's illegality from advocacy organizations and state legislators, MDOC officials have failed to fully halt these privacy violations.”
The suit seeks injunctive relief, destruction of all recordings made during the illegal period, mandatory training for MDOC staff, and monetary damages for the harm endured.
We have reached out to the Michigan Department of Corrections for comment on the lawsuit and will update this story once they respond.
