By C1 Staff
NORTHAMPTON COUNTY — A lawsuit against the Northampton County Prison claiming correctional officers allowed an inmate to be beaten is allowed to proceed in federal court.
LeHigh Valley Live reports that Matthew Farrell claims that officers allowed another inmate to beat him after he refused to cooperate with a contraband scheme the officers were running.
Senior U.S. District Court Judge Jan E. DuBois ruled Monday that the suit could proceed against both the prison and Correctional Officer Ryan Kelly.
Kelly is accused of involvement in a conspiracy to sell tobacco, razors, cell phones, vodka, take-out food, marijuana and prescription drugs to inmates, according to Farrell’s suit.
After Farrell refused to comply with the scheme, his cell door was left unlocked on April 24, 2011, allowing inmate Paul Serrano to stab him.
Kelly was friendly with Serrano, according to the suit, and allegedly spoke to him just before the attack.
DuBois dropped several other defendants from the suit, including two correctional officers, a former county executive, a former director of corrections and other officials.
Farrell was serving time for drug charges in 2011.