A former detainee at the Otay Mesa Detention Center has filed a lawsuit against the facility's operator, CoreCivic, alleging sexual assault by a guard in 2023.

Otay Mesa

A lawsuit has been filed against CoreCivic, the private operator of the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, by a former detainee identified as John Rowe. The suit alleges that in 2023, a guard sexually assaulted Rowe during an unwarranted strip search in a camera-free area of the facility. The complaint details claims of rape, sexual abuse, harassment, and battery, and states that Rowe suffered significant trauma as a result.

CoreCivic has stated it does not comment on pending litigation but reiterated its zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse and harassment. The attorney representing Rowe asserts that this is not an isolated incident, referencing reports of multiple sexual abuse cases at the facility, including substantiated incidents involving staff. The lawsuit seeks accountability for both the plaintiff and other potential victims.

CoreCivic sued over alleged sexual assault at detention centre

A man once detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center has filed a lawsuit against the facility's operators, CoreCivic. The lawsuit alleges a guard at the facility sexually battered a detainee in 2023. ABC 10 News reporter Laura Acevedo spoke with the man's attorney, who says this case is not an isolated incident. This 30-page lawsuit filed against CoreCivic, which operates the Otay Mesa Detention Center, alleges sexual battering, negligence, and sexual harassment. It was filed by a man who was detained here from 2023 to 2024. Identified only as John Rowe in this criminal complaint, a man once held here is taking on CoreCivic. Coming forward against such a powerful entity such as CoreCivic is not an easy thing to do. Katie Yamez is the attorney representing Rowe. She leads the sexual assault and sex trafficking team at San Diego-based law firm Singleton Schreiber. According to the lawsuit, her client, who was detained awaiting his immigration proceedings, was the victim of rape, sexual abuse, harassment, assault, and battery by a guard. The documents claim the incident happened after the inmate count and that the correctional officer took the detainee into a room with a camera-free blind spot for an unwarranted strip search. He was sexually assaulted by a guard that he was supposed to be protecting him. According to the lawsuit, during that search, Rowe, who was in a sling due to a dislocated shoulder, was ordered to take his pants and then his boxers off. The lawsuit claims the guard made inappropriate sexual comments to the detainee. It says the guard eventually got down and rubbed his face on the detainee's genitals. As the man pushed back and tried to pull his pants back on, the complaint alleges the officer grabbed Rowe and orally abused him. Our client suffered severe trauma and continues to suffer severe trauma. He has suffered from PTSD, anxiety, multiple suicide attempts. CoreCivic told me they don't comment on pending litigation, but did say they are committed to the safety and dignity of every person entrusted to their care, saying they have a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse and sexual harassment. But Yamez says her client's case isn't an isolated incident. In fact, in April of this year, Team 10 reported on dozens of sexual abuse incidents inside the detention facility in 2023, two of them involving staff members found to be substantiated. Yamez says this lawsuit is about accountability, not only for her client, but for others who've come forward and for those who have not. This isn't about just one officer or one survivor or one incident, but it's about a culture of neglect. In Otaimesa, Laura Acevedo, ABC 10 News.

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