In a recent ruling, a federal judge in North Carolina awarded $150,000 to Haleem Gilliland, a transgender woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted by a corrections officer during her confinement in Mecklenburg County. This award comes as a default judgment following Gilliland’s unique strategy of requesting punitive damages at this stage, rather than in the initial complaint, which is uncommon in cases involving traumatized plaintiffs.
The details surrounding the case remain limited as the full article is behind a paywall. For further information about the legal proceedings and implications, the full article can be accessed here.