BECKLEY, W.Va. – A civil action has been filed in Raleigh County Circuit Court involving former Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hatfield and an investigator in his office.
According to the lawsuit that was filed Monday, the plaintiff is a Raleigh County woman who alleges Hatfield, who was made aware of the allegations before he was elected prosecutor in 2021 and knew about them during his tenure in office, failed to take action in an ongoing case of statutory rape that also included physical abuse. sexual assault and threats.
The plaintiff also tried to obtain a Domestic Violence Protective Order (DVP) against the man who is accused of the actions against her, but she said she was “unlawfully prevented” from doing so.
The civil suit said that despite the evidence, Hatfield and other county officials failed to act, refusing to prosecute the man accused of the crimes and allowing him to continue to inflict harm on plaintiff, depriving her of her constitutional right to due process.
The plaintiff’s requests include compensatory damages for emotional distress, physical injuries and financial losses as well as punitive damages to deter future misconduct.
Defendants named in the civil action also include Jeff Shumate, who was a special investigator in Hatfield’s office at the time, certain members of the police and the Raleigh County Commission.
Hatfield resigned his position as prosecutor in October 2024 after investigations started of alleged misconduct in office. He has also since voluntarily consented to an annulment of his license to practice law in the state.
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