by David M. Reutter
Inmate Magazine Service (IMS) has been sued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the State of Florida. The Plaintiffs alleged violation of federal and state laws meant to protect consumers in IMS’s failure to ensure prisoners received the magazines they ordered through it.
IMS and ...
by David M. Reutter
California’s Fourth Appellate District affirmed a judgment finding two San Diego Sheriff’s deputies and two jail nurses were liable for injuries to an arrestee following his arrest.
The court’s February 2, 2021, opinion was issued in an appeal by the defendants after a jury found for ...
by David M. Reutter
In a per curiam opinion, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on November 2, 2020 vacated lower court rulings that held prison officials were entitled to summary judgment in a claim alleging a prisoner was confined in unsanitary cells with human waste for six ...
by David M. Reutter
A Connecticut federal district court ordered the release of information related to prison health care. The court’s November 3, 2020, order was issued in a civil rights action alleging Connecticut prison officials were deliberately indifferent to a prisoner’s medical needs.
The lawsuit was filed by the ...
by David M. Reutter
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals held that Connecticut was preempted under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 from indemnifying a guard and then seeking to recover over 60% of the judgment via state recoupment statutes. The court emphasized that its holding was based on the facts of ...
by David M. Reutter
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a civil rights complaint against a Georgia Sheriff. The Court held the Sheriff was entitled to Eleventh Amendment immunity.
The Court's May 7, 2021, opinion was issued in an appeal brought by Oqueshia Andrews. Her civil ...
by David M. Reutter
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s order granting attorney’s fees after it found the Illinois Department of Correction (IDOC) was in “substantial noncompliance” with a consent decree in a class action lawsuit filed by deaf and hard of hearing prisoners. It reversed ...
by David M. Reutter
In a reversal of its own precedent, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that 42 U.S.C. section 1997e(e) permits claims for punitive damages without a showing of physical injury.
The court’s en banc ruling was issued on April 9, 2021 in an appeal brought by ...
by David M. Reutter
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a grant of summary judge to a prison official in a lawsuit alleging a prisoner was retaliated against for filling a grievance. It also affirmed the district court’s order denying the prisoner’s motion to compel discovery.
The court’s June ...
by David Reutter
The Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC) announced on February 12, 2021, that it is expanding medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for prisoners with opioid-use disorder. The move is an expansion of a pilot project that started from an executive order issued in April 2019 by Gov. Janet Mills.
Going cold ...