Portland woman agrees to settle lawsuit alleging Long Creek staff injured her son

A Portland woman who says staff at the Long Creek Youth Development Center knocked out two of her son’s teeth in 2017 has agreed to a proposed settlement of a lawsuit she filed against the Maine Department of Corrections and Correct Care Solutions.

Sadiya Ali’s son, identified only as A.I., will receive $250,000 from the state under the proposed settlement, which still needs approval from U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock, according to a federal court filing dated Monday.

Most of those funds will be placed in a special needs trust for the boy, who was 11 when guards allegedly forced his head into a metal bed frame, knocking out two front teeth, according to the lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine on behalf of Ali and her son.

The proposed settlement redacts the portion that would have shown how much Correct Care Solutions must pay. Correct Care Solutions contracts with the state to provide medical and dental care at Long Creek. About $50,000 of the settlement will go toward paying the boy’s legal fees and dental bills.

Marc Malon, spokesman for the Maine Attorney General’s Office, and ACLU officials declined to comment Monday night.

Ali arrived in the United States more than 10 years ago as a Somali refugee from Kenya, court records say. At the time of her arrival, her son was six months old. He has since been diagnosed with a severe case of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD.

The boy was detained at Long Creek in June 2017 when he was in the sixth grade following an incident at a local pool. A.I. became upset after being told he could not swim in the deep end, according to court records.

The lawsuit, which alleges excessive force, was filed in March 2018.

Ali alleges that the staff at the detention center in South Portland failed to treat her son’s disorder, despite knowing he needed medication and treatment. During one incident when he was confined to his cell, two guards grabbed him and forced his head into the bedframe, according to the lawsuit.

The state and Long Creek’s medical provider deny the allegations.

Settlement negotiations started on Oct. 28 before Judge Nancy Torresen. The settlement proposal was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Portland.

“It is the opinion of Sadiya Ali that accepting the settlement to resolve A.I.’s claims is in the best interests of A.I., and that the proposed settlement is fair and just,” according to language in the proposed settlement.