A former juvenile inmate is suing the state juvenile justice system because he contends he lost a finger when a frustrated guard slammed a cell door on his hand and left it there.
The door slamming happened at the Metro Regional Youth Detention Center on Constitution Road in southeast Atlanta when then 16-year-old Josh McClendon of Palmetto was an inmate there, said the lawsuit filed Monday in Fulton County Superior Court.
The lawsuit contended that guard Christopher Williams allowed the door to remain on McClendon’s hand in July 2012.
“Williams … became frustrated, impatient or angry with Plaintiff McClendon,” the lawsuit said. “Williams frustration, impatience or angry (sic) caused Defendant Williams to slam a door and unreasonably leave the door on Plaintiff Joshua McClendon’s hand for a long period of time without rendering aid.”
The lawsuit, which also names Williams and the director of the detention center, contends the door slamming constituted an assault on McClendon and therefore it is seeking unspecified punitive damages as well as unspecified actual damages for medical costs and lost wages.
The lawsuit does not specify what caused Williams’ frustration, how long McClendon had been in the detention center or what crime put him there. Juvenile records are normally confidential.
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