A former inmate -- who stands four feet and one inch tall -- has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that he injured himself after falling from a sink in his prison cell.
State prison records show that Byron Rhodan has spent about 20 months in prison for dealing marijuana and possessing methamphetamine.
The lawsuit filed against the state Department of Corrections claims that in April 2004 a guard at the state prison in Jackson told Rhodan to shave. Rhodan says he told the guard he could NOT reach the mirror above the sink in his cell and that the guard told him to stand on the sink.
The lawsuit says Rhodan fell off the sink onto the cement floor in his cell.
Rhodan claims he severely injured his back in the fall. His back already undergone multiple surgeries as a result of the genetic disorder causing his dwarfism.
The Alpharetta man spoke about the lawsuit at the offices of his lawyer -- Eldridge Suggs the Fourth -- in downtown Atlanta.
Rhodan -- who was released from prison last year -- tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- quote -- "Just because I was in prison they shouldn't put me in a position to hurt myself."
Rhodan said he's NOT sure how he slipped off the sink. He says he should NOT have been wearing socks while standing on the sink.
The lawsuit alleges the prison system was negligent and violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Both the Department of Corrections and the state attorney general's office -- which is defending the prison system -- declined to comment on Rhodan's lawsuit.
Rhodan -- now 23 -- is an aspiring rapper and songwriter known as "Lil Dirty."
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