A group of current and former inmates filed a federal lawsuit against the St. Louis city workhouse on Friday, claiming guards forced them to fight each other in gladiator-style combat. The class-action suit claims guards took away inmates’ food and privileges and attacked them if they refused to fight. The “Workhouse Gladiators” say they were also denied medical care for the serious injuries resulting from the fights, which included a broken jaw. They are seeking injunctive relief along with $100 million in punitive damages, and their attorneys are also requesting to get the inmates transferred out of the jail immediately for their safety. The lawsuit was filed after security cameras caught officers Dexter Brinson and Elvis Howard forcing two of the plaintiffs to fight. Brinson and Howard were arrested in June.
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