Former Prison Employee Files Lawsuit Over Virus

A woman who worked at the Montana Women’s Prison while she was pregnant has filed a lawsuit alleging she contracted a virus that caused her child to suffer severe neurological damage.

The Billings Gazette reported Brittany Mumm and her husband filed a lawsuit in District Court in Yellowstone County alleging negligence against the state, the Department of Corrections and the Montana Women’s Prison.

Mumm was a correctional officer at the Billings prison between August 2008 and August 2009. Her lawsuit alleges she contracted a virus through contact with bodily fluids from an infected person.

The lawsuit says the virus has left her child with compromised motor skills and vision, a hearing deficit and stunted growth.

The lawsuit was filed in May, but the state has not been served. State officials declined comment.