Inmate Who Was Savagely Beaten Sues Pa. County

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - An inmate who suffered a near-fatal beating at a northeastern Pennsylvania prison claims in a federal lawsuit that prison officials showed "deliberate indifference" and ignored warnings about his safety.

The suit was filed Wednesday on behalf of 29-year-old Nicholas Pinto. It seeks more than $250,000 in compensatory and punitive damages from Lackawanna County.

The lawsuit says prison guards allowed a dangerous inmate to have access to Pinto. Attorney Patrick Rogan says Pinto suffered permanent neurological damage in last summer's attack at the county prison.

The suit notes that the prison's chaplain had warned officials before the attack that Pinto was a "likely target." Pinto was awaiting sentencing on a federal child pornography charge at the time.

The county's attorney did not immediately return a phone message Thursday.

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Information from: The Times-Tribune, http://thetimes-tribune.com/