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San Mateo County, California, Settles Strip-Search Suit for $1.9 Million
Loaded on Oct. 15, 2007
published in Prison Legal News
October, 2007, page 26
On February 5, 2007, San Mateo County, California, agreed to pay $1.9 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that an estimated 1,200 women were illegally strip-searched at the county jail between February 3, 2002, and December 2, 2003.
Filed under:
Discrimination,
Gender Discrimination -- Women,
Strip Searches,
Arrestee Searches.
Location:
California.
Sharon Gallagher, lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, claimed she was …
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More from this issue:
- Little State, Big Problems: Maine’s Prison Crisis Continues Unabated, by Lance Tapley
- Old Media Access Consent Decrees Violated in Maine, by Lance Tapley
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Massachusetts District Court: FBI Ordered to Pay $101.7 Million for Malicious Prosecution, by Michael Rigby
- Maryland Prison Audit Reveals Potential Fraud “Undetectable”, by Michael Rigby
- Clarification:
- Florida Supreme Court Enacts Rules Regulating “Super Sealing” of Court Records, by David Reutter
- Final Report on Ohio Prisoner Reentry Study, by G.A. Bowers
- Minnesota Sanction for Sex Offender Treatment Refusal Violates Fifth Amendment
- “War on Terror” Whistleblowers, Dissenters are Fired, Prosecuted; Plaintiff’s Lawyers Help Turn Them In, by Alex Friedmann
- Arkansas Prisoner Denied Kosher Diet Awarded $1,500
- Psych Evaluations Questioned Following D.C. Jail Suicides, by Matthew Clarke
- NY Prisoner Who Crushed Thumb Working at Ski Resort Awarded $40,000
- Illinois Supreme Court Holds Prisoner Medical Co-Payment Fee Can’t Be Deducted From Future Funds, by John Dannenberg
- California’s Solution To Prison Overcrowding: $7.4 Billion To Build 53,000 New Beds, by Marvin Mentor
- $4 Million Settlement In Rape and Beating Death of Mentally Ill New Jersey Prisoner, by Michael Rigby
- $14 Million Verdict Against Louisiana DA’s Office for Wrongful Death Sentence
- Fortress Of Solitude: The Bureau Of Prisons Is As Good At Keeping Prisoners In As It Is At Keeping Reporters Out, by Alan Prendergast
- South Carolina Prisoner Assaulted By Guards Awarded $600,000
- Wyoming and CMS Settle Suit Over Diabetic Prisoner’s Loss of Foot, by Matthew Clarke
- San Mateo County, California, Settles Strip-Search Suit for $1.9 Million
- Tenth Circuit Upholds BOP Guard’s Abuse Convictions
- GAO Audit: Alien Detention Facilities Suffer Continuing Deficiencies, by John Dannenberg
- Texas Parole Board Revamps Urinalysis Procedures
- Los Angeles County Pays $475,000 In Jail Healthcare Wrongful Death
- Texas Pays $250,000 for Lingering Death of Teen Prisoner, by Michael Rigby
- U.S. Supreme Court: Colorado Prisoner Alleging Injury From Suspension Of Medical Treatment Stated Adequate Claim To Preclude Dismissal, by John Dannenberg
- Massachusetts Guard Accused of Throwing Feces Entitled to Workman’s Compensation
- $1.6 Million Settlements by PHS and Hillsborough County in Death of Baby Born in Florida Jail, by David Reutter
- New Jersey Supreme Court Orders DOC to Codify Prisoner Healthcare Responsibilities, by John Dannenberg
- Eighth Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment Dismissal of Excessive Force Claims
- Confidential Settlement for Alabama Prisoners Killed in Road Work Crew
- Probation Condition Restricting Pets at Residence Held Overbroad
- New Law Bars Hawaii Prison Officials from Canceling Visits
- $100 Million In Restitution Fines Collected From California Prisoners Since 1992
- Absence of Parole Revocation Administrative Appeal Process Entitles Prisoner to Trial Court Determination of Custody Credits, by John Dannenberg
- BOP May Not Foreclose Transfer to Community Corrections Center Based on Length of Remaining Sentence, by John Dannenberg
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- Texas Allows Actual Innocence Claim in Non-Capital Habeas Actions
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- News in Brief:
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More from these topics:
- Punished for Bleeding: How Periods in Prison Become a Trap, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Gender Discrimination -- Women, Strip Searches, Hygiene Supplies, Discrimination (Transgender).
- New York State Prisons Turning Away Visitors with Tampons After Scan, Feb. 1, 2026. Gender Discrimination -- Women, Mechanical Searches/Scanners, Visitor Searches, Visiting.
- Wisconsin DOC Ordered to Provide Programming for Pregnant Prisoners—34 Years After Law Was Passed, Nov. 1, 2025. Gender Discrimination -- Women, Injunctions, Mothers in Prison, Statutes of Limitation and Laches, Compassionate Release.
- $5.6 Million Settlement for California Prisoner’s Wife Strip-searched During Visit, June 1, 2025. Strip Searches, Visitor Searches, Searches - Body/Strip.
- $100,000 Settlement Reached For Tennessee Detainee Baptized to Get Out of Traffic Ticket, June 1, 2025. Arrestee Searches, Religious Freedom, Automobile Searches/Seizures.
- Two-Week Lockdown at BOP Women’s Prison in Minnesota After Nine Overdoses, Two Deaths, Jan. 15, 2025. Gender Discrimination -- Women, Drug Overdose, Lockdowns, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Why Aren’t Eligible Individuals Taking Advantage of Expungement Laws?, Dec. 15, 2024. Discrimination, Restrictions, discrimination, Expungement/Removal.
- Paternity Questions Dog Miami Jail Birth, Oct. 15, 2024. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Gender Discrimination -- Women.
- Illinois Pays $3 Million for Subjecting Prisoners to Degrading Mass Strip Search, Oct. 15, 2024. Harassment by Police, Strip Searches, Settlements.
- Baton Rouge Cops Indicted for Violent In-Custody Strip-Search, Sept. 15, 2024. Strip Searches, Guard Brutality/Beatings.

