Steven J. Moerman
A Grand Rapids man who was serving time for a drug conviction in 2014 at the Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson is suing the Michigan Department of Corrections, alleging he was repeatedly raped by a female social worker who wanted to get pregnant, The Detroit News reports..
Steven J. Moerman, 44, sued Sept. 12 in Jackson County Circuit Court alleging civil rights violations by the MDOC, former licensed social worker Susan Clingerman and several state officials, reports Jennifer Chambers of The Detroit News. He was paroled on Feb. 11 of this year, according to the state.
In the lawsuit, Moerman alleges he was sexually abused and degraded by his prison counselor, Clingerman while receiving counseling for mental illness, the News reports.. Clingerman was discharged by the MDOC in Januarry 2015 and was subsequently charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct. She pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to nine weekends in jail, beginning Aug. 14, 2015, followed by 18 months of probation, the News reports.
It was a consensual relationship, Clingerman tells Paul Egan of the Freep:
Susan Clingerman, 44, told the Free Press she and Moerman have "shared responsibility" for carrying on a sexual relationship in 2014 when she worked for the Michigan Department of Corrections and he was an inmate, though she recognizes that in the eyes of the law it was impossible for Moerman to consent to sex with a prison employee.
"If we were two people working in the workforce and we had this type of relationship, you wouldn't think twice," she said.
