Transgender inmate to get $80,000

The state has agreed to pay $80,000 to settle a lawsuit by a transgender inmate from Rochester who alleged she was beaten by corrections officers at the Attica Correctional Facility.

Bryan Woodall, who underwent a sex change operation after release from prison and is now Misty LaCroix, claimed she suffered a broken rib and other injuries when beaten by prison guards in 2006.

A jury trial was being held in federal court in Rochester this week and was nearing its end when the settlement was announced Wednesday morning.

LaCroix alleged that she was beaten by guards who yelled slurs at her for being transgender. She originally sued eight prison employees, alleging some beat her and others did not intervene.

Last month her New York City-based attorney, Anthony Cecutti, agreed to drop six officers from the lawsuit and only sue two alleged to have been involved in the beating, Gary Pritchard and Sean White.

Representing the officers, the state Attorney General's Office argued that LaCroix's story fluctuated, showing how unreliable it was. Medical testimony showed she suffered a broken rib, an injury that the Attorney General's Office contended could have been self-inflicted.

An emergency medical expert, testifying for LaCroix, said it would be very unlikely for the specific injury to be self-inflicted.

Cecutti said Wednesday that the state had not made serious settlement offers until prison employees testified.

LaCroix contacted his office years ago, Cecutti said, and he and a colleague found the allegations convincing.

"We knew that jurors would not easily accept what she had to say," Cecutti said. "She's a transgender inmate. She's a convicted felon. She's at Attica. We knew it was an uphill battle."

Bias about LaCroix's transgenderism was central to the alleged assault, Cecutti said. She alleged that one officer said, "You're a (expletive) freak" during the alleged beating, Cecutti said.

Officials at the Attorney General's Office declined to comment.

LaCroix was imprisoned for fatally shooting Kristine Woodall in 1999 after LaCroix asked Woodall to castrate him. They were married at the time, and LaCroix wanted to change genders.

At the homicide scene, police found a plastic box containing medical supplies, including a scalpel, surgical clamps, a soldering iron and disinfectant.

Maintaining that the shooting was accidental, LaCroix was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to four to 12 years. She was released in 2007.

While in prison, she unsuccessfully sued the state, arguing that she should be allowed to wear women's clothing.

Under the settlement, $50,000 will go for attorney fees. Also, under the so-called "Son of Sam" law, the family of Kristine Woodall may be eligible for much of LaCroix's award.

The law was originally crafted to ensure that criminals do not benefit from their crimes, such as by writing books about their activities. It was later expanded and now includes payments criminals may receive from prison-based lawsuits.

GCRAIG@DemocratandChronicle.com

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