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Prison employee in New Castle files lawsuit over attack

NEW CASTLE, Ind. (AP) - A woman who was severely beaten by an inmate at the New Castle Correctional Facility has sued the prison, her attacker and others.

Court documents say Martha Clark was an employee of a prison vendor on Nov. 29, 2014, when she was attacked by inmate Robert Hudson, 47.

In the lawsuit filed in Henry County Court by the Carmel-based Stewart & Stewart law firm, Clark alleges her employers "failed to provide a safe working environment" for her, The Star Press (http://tspne.ws/2dD9KA7 ) reported.

Clark told investigators she fired Hudson from his job in the jail's kitchen after she caught him attempting to steal two pounds of sugar. Authorities say Hudson repeatedly punched Clark in the head and face, slammed her head against a desk and knocked her unconscious with a blow to her left temple.

Hudson later pleaded guilty to two counts of battery and was sentenced to four more years in prison. He was also accused of attacking another employee who tried to intervene.

Additional defendants include the state of Indiana, the Indiana attorney general's office, the state Department of Correction and the GEO Group, the private firm that operates the New Castle prison.

The suit also alleges the other defendants "violated their own politics and procedures" in the incident. It says Clark has suffered "physical pain, mental anguish and the overall loss of enjoyment of life."

Hudson has previously been convicted of crimes including attempted rape, dealing cocaine, battery and unlawful possession of a firearm.

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Information from: The Star Press, http://www.thestarpress.com

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