A man repeatedly punched by a Clackamas County corrections deputy in 2023 filed a federal lawsuit against the sheriff’s department Monday. It alleges that the sheriff’s office and three of its officers subjected him to cruel and unusual punishment and deprived him of his constitutionally-protected rights.

The suit alleges that Deputy Jeanamarie Fisher — who has since surrendered her Oregon law enforcement certification and pled guilty to official misconduct — used excessive force when she punched 43-year-old Antwon Williams in the face seven times while another deputy restrained him. Williams is a Black man with an intellectual disability, the suit states.

Williams’ lawsuit also alleges that Sgt. Matt Savage attempted to keep the incident hushed up.

Video of the incident, which was shared by Williams’ attorney Jason Kafoury, shows Fisher went into Williams’ cell at the jail on July 27, 2023 and attempted to wake him. After noticing he wore multiple shirts, which was a violation of jail policy, she attempted to pull one off.

Williams removed the shirt and tossed it at Fisher. He then picked up a ‘jail shirt’ from the bed he was laying on and threw it at Fisher as well.

In her “use of force” report, Fisher wrote that the “jail shirt” blocked her vision.

“Due to Mr. Williams’ previous and current behavior I was afraid Mr. Williams was going to attack me while I couldn’t see him,” Fisher’s report reads. “I removed the shirt from my face and quickly advanced on Mr. Williams punching him in the right side of the face and head.”

Deputy Marissa Phillps, who is also named in the suit, restrained Williams by holding his arm back during the incident. Fisher then pushes Williams to the floor and kneels on his back.

After the incident, Fisher re-enacted the encounter for Savage, who was her supervisor. Following this interaction with Fisher, Savage walked away making a “shushing” gesture by putting his finger to his lips facing someone off camera. The suit claims Savage was signaling to others not to discuss the incident. He also signed off on Fisher’s use of force report.

“Sergeant Savage’s actions in encouraging others not to talk about the incident, in signing off on Use of Force Reports and in not reporting the unlawful use of force, showed an indifference to the deprivation of Mr. Williams rights as well as a ratification of both deputies’ actions,” the suit reads.

The lawsuit alleges this was part of a larger pattern of the sheriff’s office neglecting to take corrective action following deputies’ use of excessive force. In the filing, Williams’ attorneys highlight a separate incident in 2023 where a sergeant grabbed a man’s hair and slammed his head into a concrete wall while he was handcuffed. The sheriff’s office settled a lawsuit stemming from that incident last year.

Williams’ suit says he suffered injuries to his face, neck, chest and wrists from the incident and “continues to suffer, and will in the future suffer from pain.”

Kafoury said that while Williams has recovered physically from the incident, he still suffers significant psychological trauma.

The suit asks that a jury determine the amount of monetary damages to be paid to Williams.

About a week after the event, five other sheriff’s office employees — including the staff coordinator for The Americans with Disabilities Act — determined Fisher’s use of force did not align with CCSO policies and concluded the incident should be investigated further.

Oregon State Police led the criminal investigation, leading to a misconduct charge against Fisher.

As a result of the incident with Williams, the sheriff’s office placed both of the deputies involved on leave in August 2023. Phillips returned from leave in February 2024, while Fisher left the sheriff’s office and surrendered her police certification in February 2025.

Savage, their supervisor who has worked for the sheriff’s office since 2014 and was promoted to sergeant in 2022, was never placed on leave.

A spokesperson for Clackamas County declined to comment on the lawsuit citing a policy of not speaking about pending litigation.

An email from the county’s senior legal counsel Scott Ciecko to Kafoury, shared with OPB, states that the county would not settle the suit and did not intend to represent Fisher in the case.

“The Board of County Commissioners has determined that Jeanamarie Fisher’s conduct towards your client occurred outside the scope of her employment and/or amounted to malfeasance in office or willful or wanton neglect of duty,” Ciecko wrote. “Clackamas County will not be defending or indemnifying her for her involvement in this incident.”

Kafoury hopes the suit helps lead to further accountability in cases of police misconduct.

“It speaks volumes that this brazen police brutality of a helpless, developmentally disabled young man was done by guards knowing they were on camera,” the attorney told OPB. “This lawsuit sends a message to law enforcement everywhere that this behavior won’t be tolerated.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/21/clackamas-county-jail-cruel-unusual-punishment-punch-jeanamarie-fisher/