WA woman awarded $150,000 in suit over being housed in prison with pedophile trans-identified male who allegedly sexually assaulted her

David Pivtorak, an attorney representing Clark-Sanchez, wrote, “A unanimous federal jury in deep-blue Tacoma just awarded my client $150,000 for violation of her constitutional rights in this case. We are also scheduled to go to trial in February against the Department of Corrections in state court on her negligence claims.”

Clark-Sanchez sued in late 2024, alleging that WCCW staff placed her in a cell with a biological male inmate in 2022 who had been transferred from a men’s prison after claiming to identify as a woman.

The suit identified the male inmate as 35-year-old Christopher Williams, a pedophile serving a 28.5-year prison sentence for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. He had previously been convicted of child rape.

The suit alleged that Williams would frequently and graphically describe sexual acts he wanted to do to Clark-Sanchez and would fondle her as she slept. Clark-Sanchez said in the suit she would wake to find Williams’ hands on her genitals, breasts, and legs, and a guard caught Williams in the act on at least one occasion. Instead of removing Williams, he was told to go back to his bunk.

Clark-Sanchez also said that on one occasion, Williams brought a strap-on dildo into the cell and asked her to use it on him. Williams was also accused of leering at female inmates while they showered.

Clark-Sanchez said that prison officials had ignored her concerns and tried to convince her not to file official complaints. The suit claimed that DOC officials were aware of Williams' previous behavior, including sexual misconduct with another female cellmate.

In 2025, Williams was quietly transferred back to a men’s facility.

In May of 2026, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division opened an investigation into Washington over its policy of housing trans-identified males in women’s prisons. Then-Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said, “Under my leadership, the Civil Rights Division will not allow women incarcerated in jails or prisons to be subject to unconstitutional risks of harm from male inmates. The constitutional rights of women cannot be sacrificed at the altar of appeasing unsupported and dangerous ideologies.”