Woman sues Wayne County correctional officer for sexual abuse in custody

WAYNE COUNTY, NY — A woman is suing Wayne County and the Wayne County Sheriff's Office for $22 million, alleging she was sexually abused and assaulted by a Wayne County corrections officer while in custody.

The woman, identified only as KG, says the abuse occurred over a three-week period in the spring of 2018 while she was incarcerated in the Wayne County Jail. According to her attorney, Konstantin Yelisavetskiy, the county and sheriff's office failed to protect her.

“People like our client are incarcerated, and the very people who are supposed to protect and supervise her are committing the horrific crimes against her,” said Yelisavetskiy, a senior attorney at Slater Slater Schulman LLP.

The lawsuit alleges that an officer named “Officer Black” entered KG's cell twice while she was sleeping and sexually assaulted her. The lawsuit alleges sexual misconduct, rape and forcible touching.

“Unfortunately, like so many of our clients – and we represent nearly 1,800 women across New York State in sexual abuse lawsuits against various correctional facilities – she had no power whatsoever. She felt like she couldn't tell anyone. She was afraid that if she told anyone, it would result in punishment and retribution,” Yelisavetskiy said.

KG did not come forward until the Adult Survivors Act was passed, which gives victims of sexual abuse whose statute of limitations has expired a one-year deadline to file suit. Yelisavetskiy's firm is handling approximately 1,800 sexual abuse cases filed under the law involving female inmates in New York State prisons and detention centers.

“We were amazed at how many women have told their stories during this time,” he said. “It's not so much about what the powerless people in prison should do. The question is what the institutions that are supposed to protect and prevent them have failed to do.”

News10NBC spoke to Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby, who was not yet sheriff at the time of the alleged sexual abuse in 2018. He said, “We strongly deny the allegations and at this time, this has no impact on anyone's employment status.”

The correctional officer accused of sexual abuse is still employed and on duty at the Wayne County Jail.

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