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Articles in Verdict1

Ohio: $75,000 Settlement Reached after 60-Year-Old Woman Body Slammed by Jail Guard

by Christopher Zoukis

A federal lawsuit filed by an elderly woman who suffered injuries after being slammed to the floor by a jail guard has ended in a settlement, and the guard disciplined.

Marsha Pate-Strickland was detained in Ohio’s Montgomery County jail on September 8, 2015 when she was involved ...

$437,500 Settlement for Brutal Beating at Missouri Jail

A pretrial detainee who was brutally beaten without cause by guards at Missouri’s Jackson County Detention Center (JCDC) accepted $437,500 to settle his civil rights suit.

James J. Ramirez was being held in the medical wing at JCDC after his arrest on a probation violation. He was suffering from alcohol ...

$14.3 Million Settlement for Probationers Subject to Extortion by Private Company

Pathways (formerly Providence) Community Corrections (PCC) and officials in Rutherford County, Tennessee agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit over predatory practices by the for-profit probation company. The $14.3 million settlement provides compensation for nearly 30,000 people who were trapped by PCC in a cycle of debt, endless probation extensions and ...

New York Issues New Solitary Confinement Rules for Local Jails Amid Lawsuits, $5 Million Settlement

by Christopher Zoukis

On October 17, 2017, the New York Commission of Correction issued new rules governing the treatment of prisoners held in solitary confinement in local jails. The rules came in the wake of several class-action lawsuits over the use of and conditions in solitary, one of which recently ...

Jersey City Settles Police Negligence Suit for $300,000

by Christopher Zoukis

After suing the city of Jersey City, New Jersey, over the negligent actions of one of its police officers that led to an assault and robbery, 60-year-old Martin Murray settled for $300,000.

     On June 8, 2004, Murray's vehicle was struck when another vehicle ran through a ...

Georgia Man Settles for $20,000 Against Atlanta Police Officer

by Christopher Zoukis

After the U.S. District Court granted summary judgment in favor of Atlanta Police officer M.H. Payne, claims of excessive force, false arrest, and malicious prosecution against the officer were settled for $20,000.

     On June 18, 2005, Lamont Johnson, 40, was leaning on a safety barricade when ...

BOP Settles Prisoner Retaliation Claim for $7,350

by Christopher Zoukis

The Bureau of Prisons settled a claim of retaliation brought by prisoner Kevin L. Shehee for $7,350.00 in December 2000.

Shehee was serving a 262-month sentence at Federal Correctional Institution Manchester, Kentucky when he filed his 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claim in federal court. He sued FCI ...

$500,000 in Settlements after Utah Prisoner Dies when Medical Technician Doesn’t Show up for Work

On April 5, 2015, Ramon C. Estrada, 62, incarcerated since 2005, died at the Utah State Prison due to an apparent heart attack related to renal failure. His death was preceded by two days of missed dialysis treatments because a medical technician had failed to show up for work. Estrada ...

New Mexico County Officials Settle Jail Prisoner’s Suit for $750,000

A man who was incarcerated in a New Mexico jail for 18 days settled his lawsuit against county commissioners and jail officials for $750,000 in December 2015.

Michael Faziani, who lives in Tennessee, moved temporarily to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico to receive treatment for his severe back pain under ...

Settlement and $325,000 Attorney Fee Award in Suit over Jail Conditions at Passaic County Jail

On February 23, 2012, the American Civil liberties Union (ACLU) and Seton Ha].] University School of Law's Center for Social Justice (CSJ) announced the preliminary settlement of a federal class-action civil-rights lawsuit over conditions of confinement at the Passaic County Jail in New Jersey. Under the terms of the settlement, ...