A federal jury in Great Falls unanimously found CoreCivic liable for failing to protect a former inmate who was “nearly beaten to death” at its Shelby prison and awarded the man $27.75 million, according to court records and an account from his lawyers.

CoreCivic, a private company that manages the Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby, said Friday it will appeal the decision.

The victim, Nathaniel Lake, was convicted of a crime he maintained he did not commit, and he was transferred to CoreCivic’s prison in Shelby, according to a news release Friday from the law firm representing him, Heenan and Cook of Billings. The Montana Supreme Court later overturned that conviction.

“While there, Mr. Lake was assaulted by another inmate serving a double life sentence without parole for deliberate homicide who had previously assaulted 11 times,” the news release said.

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The original complaint filed in Toole County District Court in December 2021 said CoreCivic had been named in multiple lawsuits around the country with allegations based on “inmate injuries and deaths inflicted by other inmates.”

The lawsuit said a 2016 U.S. Department of Justice audit found CoreCivic routinely had insufficient staffing.

It also said a 2021 presidential order prohibited the DOJ to renew contracts with private prison operators, including CoreCivic, “noting that such facilities do not provide safe living or working conditions” compared to publicly operated ones.

CoreCivic maintains it takes safety seriously. In January 2025, the Brennan Center for Justice said the Trump administration reversed the order against private prison contracts.

According to the news release, the assailant “buzzed” out of his own locked pod and into Lake’s locked pod in the 2018 attack.

“He then went to Mr. Lake’s cell and beat and choked him for over 3 1/2 minutes undetected by any jailers,” the news release said. “A jailer found Mr. Lake at lockdown count and he was life-flighted to a hospital in Great Falls.”

The complaint said the assailant moved quickly, “no CCC staff intervened in the attack on Lake,” and he was allowed to “freely roam the prison between units without staff intervention.”

Lake was in a coma for 33 days and spent four months in the ICU, the lawyers said. Lake is also represented by Bechtold Law in Missoula.

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The complaint said Lake had a “significant history of mental health issues” and was designated as a sex offender at the time, which made him more vulnerable to an attack.

But it said Lake maintained his innocence of attempted sexual intercourse without consent, and the news release said the conviction didn’t stick.

After being released from the hospital, Lake returned to CoreCivic for six months, but was released when the Montana Supreme Court overturned his conviction.

The complaint said the Missoula County Attorney’s Office declined to refile charges, and Lake has no criminal record.

In a statement, lawyer John Heenan said the award delivers on the request of the team’s client. The lawyers said the jury found “deliberate indifference” on the part of CoreCivic.

“In the face of a company that flatly refused to accept any responsibility for its conduct, we told the jury that Mr. Lake didn’t want sympathy, he wanted justice,” Heenan said. “The jury resoundingly rejected CoreCivic’s excuses and delivered justice.”

Based in Tennessee, CoreCivic describes itself as one of the largest corrections operators in the country. In an email, spokesperson Ryan Gustin said CoreCivic will appeal the decision.

“We take the safety and well-being of every person in our care very seriously,” Gustin said. “We respectfully disagree with this decision, don’t believe it reflects the facts of the case, and will appeal it on several legal grounds.”

The complaint said the prisoner who assaulted Lake was criminally charged with two counts of aggravated assault, pleaded guilty to the first count, and was sentenced to 15 years at the Montana State Prison with no time suspended.

Lake suffered a traumatic brain injury under CoreCivic’s negligent supervision, which had severe and permanent consequences, the complaint said: “He will likely require care for the rest of his life.”