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Sovereign Immunity Doesn’t Bar Attorney Fee Award Against Georgia DOC
Sovereign Immunity Doesn’t Bar Attorney Fee Award Against Georgia DOC
by David Reutter
The Georgia Supreme Court held on June 16, 2014 that sovereign immunity does not bar an award of attorney fees and litigation costs against the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDOC).
The ruling resulted …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Third Circuit Denies Intervention in CRIPA Class-Action Suit, by Mark Wilson
- Pennsylvania: Wexford Settles Case Involving Death of Prisoner’s Baby
- Deaths at South Carolina Jail Under Investigation; Multiple Lawsuits Filed
- Eighth Circuit Reverses Denial of Qualified Immunity; Prisoner Proved Neglect, Not Deliberate Indifference, by Mark Wilson
- $66,000 Jury Award in New Mexico CCA Sexual Abuse, Retaliation Case, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Court Reexamines Test for Misconduct by Forensic Scientist, by Mark Wilson
- Summary Judgment Denied in California Jail Excessive Force Death; $8.3 Million Settlement Plus Injunctive Relief, by Mark Wilson
- $1.3 Million Settlement in Prisoner’s Death at Michigan Jail; Claims Against Other Defendants Dismissed
- Exonerated Texas Prisoner’s Ex-Wife Not Entitled to Compensation, by Matthew Clarke
- Cell phones are “Dangerous Contraband” for New York Felony Contraband Possession, by Mark Wilson
- Ninth Circuit: 27-Month Segregation Implicates Due Process Liberty Interest, by Mark Wilson
- Ninth Circuit: No Summary Judgment on Male Guard Supervision of Female Prisoners Ban, by Mark Wilson
- PLN Partly Prevails in Censorship Suit against Georgia Jail; $10,000 in Damages
- California: Authorized Possession of Legal Materials Cannot Serve as Basis for Gang Validation
- Claim Alleging Guard Slammed Prisoner’s Head into Wall Defeats Summary Judgment, by David Reutter
- Kentucky Death Row Prisoners Win Appeal on Religious Accommodations, by Derek Gilna
- Disciplinary Self-Help Litigation Manual, 2d Ed., by Dan Manville, by John Dannenberg
- Sovereign Immunity Doesn’t Bar Attorney Fee Award Against Georgia DOC, by David Reutter
- Screening Out Family Time: The For-Profit Video Visitation Industry in Prisons and Jails, by Bernadette Rabuy
- Former Virginia Executioner Now an Anti-Death Penalty Activist
- Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Freed from Prison
- Oregon Probation Extended for Inability to Pay Financial Obligations, by Mark Wilson
- Illinois Prisoner Receives $12 Million Jury Award in Medical Neglect Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Kosher Meals Lawsuit Against Nevada DOC Dismissed, by Matthew Clarke
- CDCR Employees Investigated, Lose Jobs for Cell Phone Smuggling
- Rhode Island Prison Guards Collect Double-Time-and-a-Half during States of Emergency
- GEO Group’s Florida Immigration Detention Center “Horrifying”, by David Reutter
- Georgia Deputies Liable for Detaining and Stripping Man in Debt Judgment Execution, by David Reutter
- “Damning” Audit Sharply Criticizes Corizon in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, by Greg Dober
- Third Circuit Affirms Nominal Damages, Reverses PLRA Fee Cap Order, by Mark Wilson
- Lawsuits Over Riot at CCA Prison in Colorado Settle for $600,000, by Derek Gilna
- Federal Court Caseloads Threaten Constitutional Protections, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of California ADA Suit Against Parole Officers, by Derek Gilna
- The United States and Torture, by William Blum
- Arizona DOC Director Blames Job Stress for Hundreds of Employee Arrests
- Texas Sex Offender Oversight Agency Faces Investigations, Calls for Reform, by Matthew Clarke
- Murders in Maryland Prisons Continue Despite Reforms
- Michigan Governor Lacks Authority to Revoke Commutations, by David Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Private Prison Information Act Reintroduced in Congress with PLN’s Help
More from David Reutter:
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds Motion Judge Abused Discretion by Denying Evidentiary Hearing on IAC Claim Where Plea Counsel’s Affidavit Was Not Inherently Inconsistent With Colloquy Statements Regarding Immigration Advice, March 1, 2026
- Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Double Jeopardy Analysis for Multiple Assault Convictions, Holding That Assaultive Acts Occurring Over Short Time Period in Same Location Without Intervening Events Constitute Single Course of Conduct, March 1, 2026
- New Jersey Supreme Court Reverses Drug Convictions Under Cumulative Error Doctrine, Holding Combined Effect of Improper References to Television Series, Gun Violence, and Search Warrants Deprived Defendant of Fair Trial, March 1, 2026
- New York Court of Appeals Announces Coercive Police Tactics Compelling Suspect to Exit Home Constitute “Constructive Entry” Violating Payton, Holds Attenuation Analysis Applies to Third-Party Consent, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- ACLU Threatens New Lawsuit After Indiana County’s Repeated Failures to Abide by 17-Year-Old Settlement Agreement, May 1, 2026. Overcrowding, Exercise, Sanitation, Bedding, Settlements.
- Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, April 1, 2026. Voting, Advocacy, Settlements, Voting Rights, Felon Disenfranchisement Statute.
- Virginia Jail Suicide Results in $950,000 Settlement, Claims Against Wellpath still Pending, April 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Medical Records, Settlements, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Suicides.
- $300,000 Class-Action Settlement at California Jail Includes Policy Changes; Agreements with Aramark and Wellpath Reached Confidentially, March 1, 2026. Food, Sanitation, Settlements, Class Certification, Monell Liability.
- South Dakota Sobriety Program Participants Will No Longer Be Jailed for Non-Payment of Fees, March 1, 2026. Settlements, Class Certification, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, Unlawful Detention, Ability to Pay.
- $4,652 for Jewish Nevada Prisoner Denied Passover Meal, Jan. 1, 2026. Religious Discrimination, Food, Settlements, First Amendment, rights, Dismissal.
- HRDC Sues New Mexico County for Violating 10-Year-Old Settlement of Censorship Suit, Jan. 1, 2026. Settlements, Publications/Books, Due Process, Censorship, First Amendment.
- The Legal Fight for Homeowner Compensation After SWAT Raids, Dec. 15, 2025. Sovereign Immunity, Fifth Amendment, Constitution, state, Destruction of Property.
- $4 Million Settlement Reached in Class Action Challenge to Conditions at Shuttered St. Louis “Workhouse” Jail, Dec. 1, 2025. Totality of Conditions, Jail Specific, Settlements, Class Certification.
- $6.49 Million Settlement for 600,000 Prisoners in Massive CorrectCare Data Breach Class Action, Dec. 1, 2025. Private Contractors, Medical Records, Damages, Settlements, Privacy Act/Rights.

