A deputy jailer at Warren County Regional Jail is alleged in a federal lawsuit to have kicked an inmate in the head after deputies gained physical control over him during a struggle, causing an injury that led to the inmate losing sight in one eye.

Attorney Alan Simpson filed the lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court on behalf of Bradley Easley.

The lawsuit names Deputy Jailer Kevin Weatherby, Warren County Jailer Stephen Harmon, unknown deputy jailers, Warren County and Warren County Fiscal Court as defendants.

Weatherby is accused in the lawsuit of committing assault and battery against Easley, taking action that was “intentional, malicious in bad faith and intended to cause harm to” Easley.

The defendants are accused of excessive use of force, intentional infliction of emotional distress, failure to acquire/provide necessary medical care, negligence and negligent hiring, training and retention of its employees.

The lawsuit seeks $5 million in damages.

“This is the first step toward getting justice for Mr. Easley and hopefully will serve as a deterrent in the future,” Simpson said. “If someone kicked a dog like this, there would be outrage, and no matter what a person is incarcerated for they deserve to be treated as a fellow human being and with respect.”

Easley was 40 when he was booked March 6, 2024, into the jail on suspicion of public intoxication and endangering the welfare of a minor.

According to the lawsuit, after being assessed upon his arrival at the jail, Easley was taken to The Medical Center, and was taken back to the jail for booking after being medically cleared.

After returning to the jail, Easley became uncooperative with staff and was placed in a restraint chair for an unknown amount of time.

Easley was then placed in an observation room, detained with other inmates.

A deputy jailer who was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit was returning an inmate to the cell where Easley was being held, with Weatherby accompanying him.

Easley moved toward the cell door as it opened and the deputy put his hands on Easley’s chest, the lawsuit said.

Easley attempted to step around the deputy, who along with Weatherby unholstered their stun guns and gave commands to Easley, after which Easley placed his hands in the air, stepped back, turned toward the wall and placed his hands on the wall as instructed, according to the suit.

The narrative in the suit described Easley as putting his hands behind his back so that they could be handcuffed, but as the cuffs were placed, the deputy who is not a defendant inadvertently stepped on Easley’s sandal, causing Easley’s leg to move slightly in what is described as a “non-aggressive manner.”

“Despite there being a lack of a threat to escalate force, Deputy Weatherby activated his taser, tasing Easley,” the lawsuit said.

Weatherby is then said to have deployed another electrical cycle from the stun gun, causing Easley and the other deputy to fall to the ground.

That deputy then gained control of Easley and attempted to place him on his stomach, only for Weatherby to use his stun gun against Easley once more, according to the lawsuit, which characterized that action as “an excessive use of force, unwarranted and a violation of jail policy.”

While on the floor, Easley’s left arm was wedged above his head and against a ledge raised from the floor, and the non-defendant deputy attempted to lift that arm over Easley’s head, which the lawsuit said was a “movement that was physically impossible” and caused Easley to raise his head.

“Deputy Weatherby then delivered a knee strike to (Easley’s) ribcage while continuing to hold his taser to his back, drive stunning him again with the taser,” the lawsuit stated. “Deputy Weatherby then jumped up, took a step back and intentionally kicked (Easley) in the left side of his head and face. The direct impact was to the plaintiff’s left eye. The plaintiff then moved his left arm to his head to provide protection and covered his left eye. The plaintiff was then completely restrained by deputies.”

Easley remained jailed until March 10, 2024, during which he was not taken to the emergency room or given treatment by any outside medical providers and received “minimal, if any, meaningful medical care” provided by jail staff, according to the suit.

After being released, Easley sought treatment for his eye injury and was found on March 11, 2024, to have no vision in his left eye, as well as an infection to the injured area, leading to surgery on his eye.

“The law in Kentucky requires that the jail remain a safe place, and when inmates have confrontations and there is an assault, inmates are criminally charged,” Simpson said. “This event, had we not requested the footage, would have gone completely unnoticed, and why this deputy jailer was not charged criminally is beyond me.”

The lawsuit said that Easley is now permanently blind in his left eye and “has suffered, and continues to suffer, from emotional distress, and physical pain and suffering.”

Simpson’s law firm shared on its Facebook page a slowed-down, 31-second portion of video footage from the jail that shows Easley being held on the ground as a stun gun is deployed to his back, with the apparent kick occurring 20 seconds into the clip.

Attorney Matthew Cook, who represents the defendants, e-mailed a statement to the Daily News after being reached for comment.

“Lawsuits should be argued in the courtroom, not with snippets on social media,” Cook said. “The Warren County Regional Jail and Jailer Harmon respect the rights of each jail inmate. In this situation, jail officials encountered an inmate who was resisting commands and who was physically combative with them. We look forward to presenting the full story to the court and showing that the officers responded reasonably to plaintiff’s combative and violent behavior.”