John A. Ramirez (IL DOC Photo)
An inmate at the Cook County Jail has filed a civil suit against Cook County Department of Corrections, alleging his constitutional rights were violated while housed in their institution.
John A. Ramirez alleges that at 1:30 p.m. on June 21, another inmate physically assaulted him after he refused to hand over his commissary funds and half of his property.
According to the handwritten suit filed Sept. 9, in federal court in East St. Louis, the alleged assault caused Ramirez to sustain two black eyes and four stitches.
Ramirez claims that the inmate who attacked him had previously been in a fight on three other occasions, one time with an elderly person over the age of 60.
He claims Cook County officials should have put the violent inmate in segregation, and by not doing so violated the health and safety of other inmates.
Ramirez claims since the attack he still suffers pain in the middle of his forehead and that his vision from his left eye is still blurry.
Ramirez was paroled May 9 by the Illinois Department of Corrections, after serving a 30 month sentence for felony possession of a weapon. He was jailed in Cook County on an unrelated charge.
"I would like to be compensated by money, I'm scarred by the stitches for life," Ramirez wrote in his complaint.
However, since he is still unaware of the extent of the damage he has sustained, he is only requesting $60,000 in damages at this time.
His case has been assigned to District Judge G. Patrick Murphy.