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Pro Se Tips and Tactics
In this column, I discuss things you might consider in trying to settle a case you have filed. As always, I assume you have filed a civil rights case in federal court, challenging as illegal some prison condition or practice that has been imposed on you.
1. Why Settle?
There …
1. Why Settle?
There …
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More from this issue:
- You're in the Hole: A Crackdown on Dissident Prisoners, by Anne-Marie Cusac
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- California Prison Guards Protected in Criminal Investigation
- Mental Health Treatment in State Prisons Falls Short
- Oregon Court of Appeals Vacates IFP Decisions
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics, by John Midgley
- $3.54 Million Paid For Falsely Imprisoning Unconvicted Mentally-Incapacitated California Man For Two Years In New York, by John E Dannenberg
- CCA Settles New Mexico "Failure To Protect" Suit For $41,885
- Colorado Sovereign Immunity from Prisoner Suits Upheld; Medical Claim Remanded
- PLN Sues Utah Jail Over Publication Ban; Jail Settles
- Washington Department of Corrections' Address Requirement Illegal
- Conditions of Confinement: Washington State Prisoner Sues Over Twelve Harsh Days in Strip Cell, by Silja JA Talvi
- PLN Sues Washington DOC Over Mail Censorship - Again
- Minnesota Cost-of-Confinement Surcharge Upheld
- Jail Not a Dwelling Under Federal Housing Act
- $2.2 Million Award for New Mexico Prison Bug Spray Injuries
- Denial of Habeas Corpus Parole Challenge Reversed
- Parole Revoked for Refusing Medication
- Vague Confidential Information and Gang Allegations Held Insufficient to Justify Close Custody Ruling, by John E Dannenberg
- PLRA Constitutional, Most of Ruiz Relief Terminated in Texas Suit
- Section 1983 Civil Rights Claims Not Barred by Kansas Tort Remedies
- Second and Sixth Circuits Uphold Validity of PLRA's Taxation of Costs
- Los Angeles Sheriff's Over-Detention Policy Renders County Liable Under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983, by John E Dannenberg
- Order for Attorney Not to Contact Class Members Void
- No Qualified Immunity for Shackling Prisoner to Hospital Bed
- Qualified Immunity Granted at Summary Judgment Stage in Prison Shooting Suit, by John E Dannenberg
- Balisok Bars Privacy Act Claim
- Indiana Creates Liberty Interest in Good Time Credits
- News in Brief
More from John Midgley:
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics, June 15, 2004
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics: Magistrate Judges in Federal Courts, Nov. 15, 2003
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics: Damages, Aug. 15, 2003
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics, April 15, 2003
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics, Dec. 15, 2002
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics: Unknown Defendant Identities, July 15, 2002
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics, Feb. 15, 2002
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics, June 15, 2001
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics, Dec. 15, 2000
- Pro Se Tips and Tactics, Sept. 15, 2000
More from these topics:
- $3 Million Settlement Reached with BOP for Attorney’s Fees in Sex Abuse Class-Action from Now-Shuttered California “Rape Club”, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Attorney Fee Awards, Settlements, Consent Decrees, Class Actions.
- $3.25 Million Paid by Georgia After Prisoner Bakes to Death in Outdoor Recreation Cage, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Exposure to Heat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Oregon Reaches $49 Million Settlement with State Prisoners in COVID-19 Class-Action, Aug. 1, 2026. COVID-19, Eighth Amendment, Settlements, Class Certification, Qualified Immunity.
- $6.35 Million Paid for Ohio Jail Detainee’s Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Guard, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Malpractice, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Oregon Supreme Court: Jail Credit Statute Focuses Upon Legal Custody Not Physical Custody Location, July 1, 2026. Civil Procedure, Sentencing, Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Criminal Justice, Statutory Construction/Interpretation.
- $112,500 Paid to Former New Mexico Prisoner Denied Public Records of Excessive Force by Guards, June 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Settlements, Public Records Act, False Imprisonment.
- Settlement Reached in Mental Health Care Class-Action at San Diego County Jails, June 1, 2026. Settlements, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Class Actions, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- Pepper Spraying Incident Prompts Policy Change at Washington Women’s Prison, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Settlements, Staff Training, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Arkansas Supreme Court Bows to Governor’s Board of Correction Takeover, June 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Cost of Prison Systems, Settlements, State Legislation, Authority and Jurisdiction.
- California Pays $15,000 to State Prisoner Who Claimed He Was Targeted by Guards, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Snitch Jacketing, Failure to Protect (General), Summary Judgment, Settlements.

