CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A former North Carolina inmate is suing a sheriff and his staff after saying he was brutally assaulted by another inmate because he’s gay.

The Charlotte Observer reports Arthur Blake filed a complaint Tuesday against Mecklenburg County Sheriff Irwin Carmichael and his employees, saying he repeatedly warned deputies that he’d been threatened by a fellow inmate before being attacked in 2014.

Blake’s attorney Jack Sussman says deputies didn’t take steps to protect Blake before the assault.

Sussman says jailers also harassed and demeaned Blake because he’s gay.

The lawsuit says because Blake felt unsafe, he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges to speed up his transfer out of the jail.

Carmichael’s attorney, Marilyn Porter, says they dispute the charges. The complaint calls for a jury trial.

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