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A woman who says she was raped by a guard at Milwaukee County Jail was awarded $6.7 million Wednesday after testifying earlier this week. During her testimony, the woman—who was not named by The Associated Press since she is a sexual assault victim—said Xavier Thicklen, then employed by the jail as a guard, raped her at least five times in 2013.
“She was raped repeatedly at the age of 19,” said Chicago attorney Theresa Kleinhaus according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “She sought justice and she is glad the system delivered that justice. She hopes to prevent other women from being sexually assaulted in the Milwaukee County Jail.”
The woman was pregnant at the time of her booking in 2013. According to MJS, she was shackled during her labor, and delivered her baby girl at Aurora Sinai Medical Center 20 hours later. A midwife testified during the trial, explaining that shackling could “slow labor” and potentially “endanger the child.” But Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. stood behind the shackling, stating in a deposition that “it is required to protect hospital staff.”
Clarke didn’t testify during the trial, but in case you may have forgotten: he did recently announce plans to join the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Let’s see if this at all prevents that from happening. (It probably won’t.)
As The Huffington Post reports, the jury also found “no legitimate government purpose” for shackling her during her labor, but didn’t see the act as unconstitutional and awarded no monetary damages since she reportedly hadn’t been injured.
