A California woman who was sexually violated during a cavity search while trying to visit her incarcerated husband was awarded $5.6 million in a settlement with the department of corrections and the hospital that oversaw the search, her attorneys said Monday.

Christina Cardenas, 45, told the New York Times she was left “traumatized” during an attempted visit to her inmate husband on Sept. 6, 2019 that ended with her going through two strip searches, a cavity search where a male doctor allegedly violated her, X-ray and CT scans, and a drug and pregnancy test, according to the lawsuit she filed against the two parties.

She was then hit with a $5,000 bill from the hospital that did the tests. But Cardenas will recoup that money and then some.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will fork over $3.6 million and the rest of the total $5.6 million settlement will be divided up between Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley Hospital, a doctor and two correction officers. All defendants denied any wrongdoing in the settlement, the Times reported. 

But it wasn’t just the money. Cardenas said she sued the defendants so that the alleged misconduct and violations she was subjected to doesn’t happen to others seeking to visit their loved ones in prison.

“My motivation in pursuing this lawsuit was to ensure that others do not have to endure the same egregious offenses that I experienced,” Cardenas said.

The correction officers had a warrant to search any visitors of her husband, who has been in prison since 2001 when he was convicted of armed robbery, according to the Times.

But the warrant stipulated that the officers could only conduct a strip search of the visitor if an X-ray detected any foreign objects that could be contraband inside the visitor’s body. Cardenas underwent an X-ray and a CT scan and neither picked up any abnormalities, according to her lawyers. 

Her lawyers also said a prison official tried to intimidate her during the intrusive ordeal.

“Why do you visit, Christina? You don’t have to visit. It’s a choice, and this is part of visiting,” the official reportedly taunted, according to chilling details Cardenas revealed in the suit.

Cardenas is being represented by Gloria Allred, the high-profile women’s rights attorney, whose past clients include Mimi Haley in her suit against Harvey Weinstein, Judy Huth in her suit alleging she was sexually abused by Bill Cosby, and the family of Halyna Hutchins.

“We believed the unknown officer’s statement was a form of intimidation used to dismiss Christina’s right to visit her lawful husband during the course of his incarceration,” Allred said. 

Cardenas was also made to strip and squat over a mirror, which is a type of search usually reserved for inmates, Allred told the Times.

Allred was not immediately available for comment when contacted by The Post.

Cardenas further revealed that while being transported to and from the hospital, she was put in handcuffs in a “humiliating perp walk.” She also said she was denied water or bathroom use for the majority of the search. 

And after the long-winded search and tests yielded no contraband in her body or belongings, Cardenas was not permitted to see her husband, Carlos Cardenas. 

The traumatizing ordeal wasn’t the first time she had been subjected to a grueling search by prison officials.

Cardenas underwent a strip search to marry her husband — they began dating after he was behind bars — and said she had experienced difficulties during prior visits to him, but not to the magnitude of the September 2019 incident. 

The settlement additionally requires that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation distribute a policy memorandum to workers to ensure visitors’ rights are protected when they are subjected to strip searches.

As part of the requirement, prison officials must give a copy of the search warrant to visitors and ensure they read and understand it. The officials also cannot exceed the scope of what is allowed under the warrant.

Sexual abuse and misconduct have been a systemic problem in California prisons. On Sept. 4, the Justice Department announced it had opened an investigation into allegations that correctional officers sexually abused female inmates at two state-run California prisons.

The federal Bureau of Prisons also shut down a women’s prison in Northern California — the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin — following similar allegations. The prison was dubbed the “rape club” after an Associated Press investigation exposed widespread sexual abuse by correctional officers. 

With Post wires.

The Line, Bridge and Airport fires have burned thousands of acres in Southern California over the last week, forcing evacuations and destroying homes and other structures.

Prompted by the destruction, families, community members and organizations have started fundraisers to help those who have been impacted by the fires.

MAP: See where the Airport, Bridge and Line fires are burning in Southern California

GoFundMe has included verified fundraisers to support communities impacted by the fires at www.gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/california.

Some of the verified fundraisers to help families impacted by the Bridge and Airport fires include:

The Salvation Army’s Southern California Division is operating two emergency shelters at the Jessie Turner Community Center and the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds for those impacted by the Line fire and is also prepared to help community members impacted by the Bridge and Airport fires.

As the fires continued, the organization encouraged anyone who is able to donate so that the Salvation Army can continue and ramp up its response efforts. Donations will ensure the organization can provide food, shelter, emergency services and spiritual care for families and first responders, the organization said.

Originally Published: September 12, 2024 at 2:06 p.m.

Three major wildfires in California have destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate, with triple-digit temperatures fueling the blazes, officials said. 

Firefighters battling the blazes, all in the mountains east of Los Angeles, took advantage of Wednesday’s cooler weather to slowly gain the upper hand. 

California is only now heading into the teeth of the wildfire season, but the state has already seen nearly three times as much acreage burn than during all of 2023. The wildfires have threatened tens of thousands of homes and other structures across Southern California since they accelerated during a triple-digit heat wave over the weekend.

No deaths have been reported, but at least a dozen people, mainly firefighters, have been treated for injuries, mostly heat-related, authorities said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom sent National Guard troops in to help with evacuations, and the White House said President Joe Biden was monitoring the situation.

The Bridge Fire 

In the small community of Wrightwood, about 90 minutes outside Los Angeles, authorities implored residents to flee the exploding Bridge Fire, which has burned more than a dozen homes in the area. It’s not yet known what started the fire, which is the third-largest blaze in California this year.

Resident Erin Arias said she was racing up the mountain when she got the order to leave and did, grabbing her passport and dog. On Wednesday, she and her husband doused water on the roof of their still-standing home. Their cat was missing, she said.

“It’s absolutely scary,” Arias said, looking at the burned embers of her neighbor’s home. “We’re really lucky.”

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said the fire moved extraordinarily fast across complex terrain, likely giving residents less time to evacuate than usual and surprising even seasoned fire officials.

The Bridge Fire “had to go up mountain sides, burn down slope, jump across valleys, burn across new ridges, and then make it down slope again at least two other times in effectively one burning period,” he said.

The Airport Fire

The Airport Fire, which was reportedly sparked by heavy equipment operations, has burned more than 35 square miles of land in the Orange and Riverside counties. The fire was 5% contained as of Wednesday night, and on Thursday, cooler weather led to a “significant slowing” of the flames, according to CBS Los Angeles.

Orange County Fire Authority Incident Commander Kevin Fetterman said the blaze has been difficult to tame because of the terrain and dry conditions and because some areas hadn’t burned in decades.

Eight firefighters battling the blaze have been treated for injuries, according to Orange County Fire Captain Steve Concialdi. Those injuries are mostly heat-related. One area resident was treated for smoke inhalation, and another was burned, Concialdi said. Several homes have burned in the affected area. 

In El Cariso Village, a community of 250 people along Highway 74 in Riverside County, an Associated Press photographer saw at least 10 homes and several cars engulfed in flames.

Thousands of mandatory evacuation orders have been issued. 

The Line Fire

In San Bernardino County, some 65,600 homes and buildings were under threat by the Line Fire, and residents along the southern edge of Big Bear Lake were told to leave Tuesday. While firefighters initially managed to keep the blaze within the San Bernardino National Forest, winds started to sweep it toward homes — leading to the first set of mandatory evacuation orders being issued Saturday, according to CBS Los Angeles.

The blaze blanketed the area with a thick cloud of dark smoke, which provided shade for firefighters trying to get ahead of winds expected later Wednesday, said Fabian Herrera, a spokesperson for those battling the Line Fire. The fire was about 18% contained as of Wednesday evening. 

Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, of Norco was arrested on suspicion of causing the fire. from the town of Norco suspected of starting the Line Fire on Sept. 5 was arrested and charged with arson, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said. Officials did not specify what was used to start the fire.

Investigators collected evidence from the man’s vehicle and home that suggests he could have been involved in starting other fires, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Wednesday.