PORTLAND, Maine, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Jury selection began Tuesday in a U.S. court lawsuit brought by a woman who claims she was illegally strip searched in Maine's Knox County Jail.
Laurie Tardiff filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Portland, Maine, alleging she was forced to undergo a humiliating strip search and body cavity examination after being arrested for witness tampering in 2001, the Portland Press-Herald reported.
Court papers filed in the case say strip searches were a routine occurrence at the jail, despite warnings from state corrections officials that the practice could create problems.
The case follows a similar suit against the York County jail in Maine that was settled for $3.3 million -- the largest cash award to result from a Maine civil rights case.
