A female prisoner in Tucson has sued the state, claiming she was repeatedly stabbed after wrongfully being housed with a high-risk cellmate.
According to the lawsuit filed in Pima County Superior Court last month, Adrienne Peterson repeatedly told prison guards her cellmate was mentally ill and she was afraid of her.
Peterson, 33, claims that she told guards the roommate kept telling her God was talking to her through a television.
The suit said Peterson, who at the time was serving a three-year sentence for attempted armed robbery, was classified as a “moderate” risk inmate, her unnamed cellmate was classified as a “high” risk inmate and they were housed together in a cell that lacked a “standard unbreakable metal toilet.”
In September 2005, two months after the two women were placed together, the lawsuit said the cellmate attacked Peterson and used a shard from a broken porcelain toilet to stab her repeatedly.
The lawsuit claims the tendons and nerves in Peterson’s hand were exposed and she required surgery. It further alleges the Arizona Department of Corrections refused to provide her adequate medical treatment, including physical therapy.
Peterson is seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory damages on the grounds of gross negligence, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Andrea Esquer, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, said on Oct. 4 that the office had not yet received a copy of the suit and declined to comment.
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