Ashely Diamond drops lawsuit against Georgia Department of Corrections to focus on healing

January 20th, 2023

Lawyers for a Black transgender woman who sued Georgia prison officials over alleged mistreatment while in custody said she decided not to proceed to trial because she feared the experience would be harmful to her. (Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder)

Ashely Diamond, a transgender Black woman, who has challenged the Georgia Department of Corrections twice over transgender policies, has decided not to move forward with a second lawsuit against the prison system.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:

“Ashley Diamond has decided that a lengthy trial and the trauma of recounting her horrific abuse and neglect by the Georgia Department of Corrections would be detrimental to her recovery. She is deeply grateful for the public support she has received over the years and looks forward to returning to her activism after she has spent time focusing on healing.”

On Friday’s edition of “Closer Look,” former U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore, who is not legally involved in the case, talked with show host Rose Scott about the case and Diamond’s decision.

“A lot of times in cases when you have a sexual assault victim, the pursuit of justice is trauma oftentimes ends up re-traumatizing the victim, ”said Moore.

During the conversation, Moore also talked about several other pending legal cases.