A federal jury in Tacoma, Washington, awarded former inmate Mozzy Clark-Sanchez $150,000 after she sued over being housed with a male inmate at the Washington Corrections Center for Women. Her attorney, David Pivtorak, said the unanimous jury found a violation of her constitutional rights.
Clark-Sanchez sued in late 2024. She alleged that prison staff placed her in a cell in 2022 with Christopher Williams, a 35-year-old male inmate who had been transferred from a men’s prison after saying he identified as a woman. The suit said Williams was serving a 28.5-year sentence for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and had previously been convicted of child rape.
The lawsuit alleged that Williams repeatedly described sexual acts he wanted to do to Clark-Sanchez and fondled her while she slept. Clark-Sanchez said she woke to find Williams’ hands on her genitals, breasts and legs. The suit said a guard caught Williams at least once, but Williams was told to return to his bunk instead of being removed from the cell.
Clark-Sanchez also alleged that Williams brought a strap-on dildo into the cell and asked her to use it on him. The suit said Williams leered at female inmates while they showered, and that prison officials ignored Clark-Sanchez’s concerns and tried to persuade her not to file formal complaints. It also alleged that Department of Corrections officials knew about previous conduct by Williams, including sexual misconduct with another female cellmate.
Williams was transferred back to a men’s facility in 2025. Pivtorak said Clark-Sanchez is also scheduled for a February state-court trial against the Washington Department of Corrections on negligence claims. In May 2026, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division opened an investigation into Washington’s policy of housing trans-identified males in women’s prisons.
