Court affirms $12,500 for prisoner in trial against guards

ADRIAN, Mich. (AP) - An appeals court has affirmed a $12,500 verdict in favor of a Michigan prisoner who said guards retaliated against him for cooperating with abuse investigators.

Randle Griffin says his rights were violated at Gus Harrison prison in Adrian. He says he lost a job in the recreation room and was given false misconduct tickets. He says a guard called him a "rat" and another warned that his cooperation would "come back to bite" him.

A report by the Ombudsman's Office listed dozens of complaints by prisoners.

An appeals court on Wednesday found nothing to upset the jury's 2017 verdict in Ann Arbor federal court. The state also had to pay $23,000 in legal fees and expenses to Griffin's lawyer.

The 50-year-old Griffin is serving a life sentence for murder.

Published: Fri, Aug 10, 2018