Alabama lawyer accused of sexually assaulting handcuffed inmate, lawsuit says
An Alabama attorney and former senator is accused of fondling and sexually assaulting an imprisoned woman and forcing her to become his “sex slave,” according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The lawsuit accuses Douglass “Doug” Ghee of sexual assault, battery, extortion, intentional emotional distress, false imprisonment and debauchery. Ghee’s law firm, Ghee, Draper and Alexander, is also named in the complaint.
The lawsuit states that Ghee, 78, met a 29-year-old woman in July as a public defender while she was incarcerated in the Calhoun County Jail in the eastern part of the state. During the meeting, Ghee allegedly promised to use his friendship with the judge and assistant district attorney on her case to help her get a better deal, as long as she agreed to be his “sex slave” and pay him $2,500.
The meeting took place in a room set aside specifically for attorneys to meet with their clients, the complaint alleges. The woman was shackled and handcuffed the entire time, and there was a live video feed for a prison guard to monitor the situation.
After the first meeting, Ghee sent $30 to the woman’s prison account, the complaint said.
Five days later, Ghee and the woman met again in the same room, the complaint says, and he is accused of groping her and forcibly kissing her. A prison guard intervened and removed the woman from the room, the complaint says.
People incarcerated in Alabama prisons are legally prohibited from consenting to sexual contact while incarcerated.
In July, following the alleged sexual assault, a presiding judge of the Seventh Circuit barred Ghee from representing indigent clients in two counties in the eastern part of the state, AL.com reported. Four judges have also recused themselves from Ghee’s cases, including the judge who presided over the jailed woman’s bail hearing.
The woman’s lawyers say she cannot bring criminal proceedings against Ghee until a new judge is assigned and she can post bail.
“Further detention will only delay the justice process and prolong the mental abuse in this case,” said the woman’s attorney, Anthony Coleman. “As a result of her detention, she cannot file a criminal complaint in this case. We filed this lawsuit to protect her rights and urge the state to move forward without further delay.”
Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade confirmed with WBRC-TV that an investigation into the allegations is underway.
Ghee is a well-known attorney in the region and served as a state senator from 1990 to 1998. A representative from his law firm said he would not comment when contacted by The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The AP generally does not mention the names of people who report sexual abuse unless they give permission to be named.
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Riddle reported from Montgomery. Riddle is a staff member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-reported issues.