The Lead Off
- Attorneys for Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility inmate Krystal Clark have filed an emergency motion seeking her immediate transfer from the prison.
- The filing alleges Clark’s health has declined due to mold exposure and requests placement at an outside medical facility within 24 hours.
- The motion is part of a broader lawsuit alleging long-term environmental concerns at Michigan’s only women’s prison.
Inmate seeks emergency removal from Michigan women’s prison
LANSING, MI. (WOWO) Attorneys representing an inmate at Michigan’s Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility have filed an emergency motion asking a federal judge to order her immediate removal from the prison, citing concerns about her medical condition and alleged exposure to toxic mold.
The motion was filed Monday on behalf of inmate Krystal Clark and requests that she be transferred to an outside medical facility within 24 hours.
Clark has been incarcerated at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility since 2011 and is part of a broader class-action lawsuit filed against the state in 2019. The lawsuit alleges inmates have been exposed to toxic black mold, a deteriorating heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and ongoing roof leaks according to Michigan Advance.
Attorneys cite medical decline and mold-related concerns
Clark’s legal team says her health has significantly worsened while housed at the facility.
According to court filings, Clark has a documented severe allergy to mold and has experienced respiratory symptoms, including chronic coughing, coughing up blood and nasal bleeding.
Her attorneys said recent clinical testing by infectious disease specialists found Aspergillus mold growing inside Clark’s ears. They said the condition resulted in a fungal tissue infection and contributed to rapid hearing loss.
The attorneys said Clark’s hearing has declined to the point that she now requires an assistive-listening device to communicate by telephone.
Prison officials dispute environmental claims
Prison officials have previously stated that air quality testing at the facility has shown mold levels within normal ranges.
Clark’s attorneys argue the conditions at the prison have created a serious medical risk for their client and are asking the court to require her removal from the facility rather than relocation to another area within the prison.
Emergency motion requests outside medical placement
The motion asks a federal judge to prohibit prison officials from moving Clark to another cell or housing unit at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility.
Instead, the filing requests that Clark be transferred to an outside medical environment where, according to her attorneys, she would no longer be exposed to the conditions alleged in the lawsuit.
At a Tuesday news conference, Clark’s attorney Shiraz Khan said the emergency filing was intended to address what he described as a potential worsening medical situation.
“The filing asks the court to act before a claimed medical risk becomes irreversible harm,” Khan said. “Our goal is to get Krystal Clark the medical attention that she needs, and get her to a facility outside of WHV, where she’s not subject to the conditions that she has been for so many years.”
Attorneys raise concerns following inmate deaths
Khan also referenced recent reports that four women incarcerated at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility have died since May.
He said the deaths were cited in the emergency motion but that the filing does not claim a cause of death.
“Those deaths are deeply troubling,” Khan said. “We are not here to speculate about the cause of those deaths, but four deaths in less than two months are troubling and cannot be ignored.”
Federal judge has not ruled on request
The emergency motion is awaiting a decision from a federal judge.
The court has not yet ruled on whether Clark will be transferred from Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility or receive placement at an outside medical facility.
The Takeaway
- Krystal Clark’s attorneys are asking a federal judge for an emergency transfer from Michigan’s Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, citing alleged mold exposure and worsening medical conditions.
- The request is connected to a larger class-action lawsuit filed in 2019 that alleges environmental issues at the prison, including mold concerns, ventilation problems and roof leaks.
- A federal judge has not yet issued a decision on the emergency motion, which seeks Clark’s placement outside the prison for medical care.
