Williams vs. O’Gorman et al.

Case Background

On November 16, 2020, Plaintiff Wonder Williams filed a Solitary Confinement lawsuit in the United States District Court, Northern District of New York(Case number: 9:20cv1417). Judge Chief Judge Brenda K. Sannes and Magistrate Judge Therese Wiley Dancks presided over the case.

Cause

Wonder Williams endured nearly nine years of solitary confinement in New York state prisons from 2010 to 2019. Prison officials placed the 38-year-old former security worker in administrative segregation immediately upon his entry into DOCCS custody at age 27. This decision stemmed from his alleged involvement in a murder-for-hire plot while at Rikers Island. During his confinement, authorities transferred Williams between Auburn, Five Points, and Mid-State Correctional Facilities, where he spent 23 hours daily in a concrete cell no larger than a parking space. Prison officials conducted perfunctory 30-day reviews of his administrative segregation status, using identical boilerplate language without considering changed circumstances. Despite maintaining good behavior with only two minor disciplinary infractions (October 2012 and January 2015), officials continued his solitary confinement without providing guidance on improving his status. From December 2017 to February 2019, Williams received no reviews while in a step-down program, though the conditions remained virtually identical to administrative segregation.

Injuries

Williams suffered severe physical and psychological deterioration during his confinement. His physical health declined as he developed a thyroid condition that caused significant weight loss. A fall in the shower in 2013