A lawsuit filed by five former female inmates alleged they had been sexually assaulted at least 53 times from 2013 to 2016 when Eric Tanaka was the warden.
HONOLULU (KITV4) -- A jury returned a verdict in favor of the former warden of the Women's Community Correctional Center (WCCC) in Kailua in a case of alleged sex assaults brought by former inmates.
The suit alleged that four correctional officers sexually assaulted the women at least 53 times from 2013 to 2016 when Eric Tanaka was the warden at the prison.
The jury sided with Tanaka.
The five ex-inmates were seeking more than $7 million in damages from the state. The jury found that the state and Tanaka were not liable for the alleged assaults committed by the correctional officers.
The jury was deadlocked in 2020 resulting in a re-trial. All four correctional officers were fired.
The Director of the Department of Public Safety issued the following statement after the verdict:
"The Department of Public Safety respectfully acknowledges the verdict and wants to thank the jury for their time and diligence in this matter. The staff involved in these incidents were investigated and terminated. PSD is committed to making sure staff who break the law are held accountable for their actions."
