In 2017, plaintiffs Angelena Sandifor, Brenda Blandon and Jamie Utterback, inmates incarcerated at the Century Regional Detention Facility, in Lynwood, were allegedly ordered to perform sex acts by Deputy Giancarlo Scotti. The inmates claimed they faced retaliation from other deputies inside the jail after raising complaints about the alleged incidents with investigators in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Sandifor, Blandon and Utterback sued Scotti; Scotti’s supervisor, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell; and Scotti and McDonnell’s employers, the county of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Sandifor, Blandon and Utterback alleged that Scotti’s actions constituted sexual assault. They also alleged that McDonnell, the county and the sheriff’s department were negligent in their failure to supervise Scotti and that the defendants knew or should have known about Scotti’s interactions with them., Sandifor, Blandon and Utterback claimed that they suffer from emotional distress as a result of the assaults. They sought recovery of damages for their emotional pain and suffering.