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$250,000 Settlement in Assault Upon Luzerne County Detainee
by David M. Reutter
A former Pennsylvania pretrial detainee who sustained serious injuries from a guard’s use of excessive force received a $250,000 settlement.
As guard Christopher Refner was making rounds at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility on June 28, 2016, he smelled marijuana and began to …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Public Relations Firm Terminates Contract With GEO Group, by Scott Grammer
- PLN Awarded Injunction in Arizona Prison Censorship Suit, by David M. Reutter
- $10 Million Post-Appeal Settlement in Oklahoma Jail Prisoner Death Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- $850,000 Settlement in Florida DOC Prisoner’s Gassing Murder, by David M. Reutter
- Get Celebrity Endorsement and Get Pardoned, by Douglas Ankney
- 18-Month Prison Sentence for Former Alabama Sheriff in Food Bank Scam, by David M. Reutter
- Court Holds Federal Tort Claim Against BOP Can Proceed in MCC Beating Death, by Kevin Bliss
- Sacramento County Jail Settles Solitary Confinement Class Action Suit, by Scott Grammer
- Santa Rita Sheriff’s Office Says Prisoners Not Being Maltreated; Prisoners’ Protest Says Otherwise, by Kevin Bliss
- Most States Saw Criminal Justice Reforms in 2019, But Incarceration Rates Remain High, by Victoria Law
- $250,000 Settlement in Assault Upon Luzerne County Detainee, by David M. Reutter
- $550,000 Settlement in Nationwide Class-Action Lawsuit Over High-Fee Debit Cards, by Matthew Clarke
- $300,000 Settlement in Lincoln County Missouri Jail Attempted Suicide Suit, by Chad Marks
- Report Decries Ongoing Inadequate Medical Care for Pregnant Arizona Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Veteran Dies After Beating by Guards at North Carolina Jail, by David M. Reutter
- Senator Warren Has Plan To Ban Private Prison Contracts, by Scott Grammer
- Fulton County Ordered to Clean Up Repulsive Jail Conditions for Mentally Ill Women, by David M. Reutter
- Florida Prison Isolation Suit Survives Dismissal Stage, by David M. Reutter
- Alabama Jail Guards Face Liability for Inaction to Methadone Withdrawal Symptoms, by David M. Reutter
- Riots At South Carolina Prison Spark Wave of Lawsuits, by David M. Reutter
- $12.6 Million Jury Award for Man Denied Medical Care Before Jailed, by David M. Reutter
- “Free” E-Tablets Are Anything But, by Edward Lyon
- Federal Prisoner to Receive Opioid Addiction Medication While Incarcerated, by Kevin Bliss
- Cook County Jail’s Three Book Possession Policy Constitutional, by David M. Reutter
- $150,000 Settlement for Opioid Withdrawal Death in Indiana County Jail, by Anthony W. Accurso
- Michigan Finding Success With More Humane Treatment of Mentally Ill Prisoners, by David M. Reutter
- Court Confirms Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Sentence in Tobacco Contraband Case, by David M. Reutter
- Suicide or Murder? Jeffrey Epstein’s Death Still Drawing Attention to Bureau Inadequacies, by Anthony Accurso
- Long-running Maricopa County, Arizona Jail Lawsuit Ends, by Edward Lyon
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Prison Guard’s Rape Convictions, But County Not Liable, by Scott Grammer
- Report Published on Louisiana’s Extensive Use Of Solitary Confinement, by Scott Grammer
- Guard Who Failed to Prevent Escape Entitled to Qualified Immunity, by David M. Reutter
- States Rush to End Prison Gerrymandering Before Districts Are Set For Another 10 years, by Aleks Kajstura
- Court Grants Bail to Ex-Peruvian President Challenging Extradition Due to Solitary Confinement, by Dale Chappell
- California: Qualified Attorney Work-Product Protection Applies to Discovery During Habeas Proceedings, by Douglas Ankney
- Oklahoma Commutations Largest Mass Release in U.S. History, by Kevin Bliss
- States Move for True Second Chance Opportunities, by Kevin Bliss
- Death Highlights Need for Change in Texas GEO-Run Prison, by Kevin Bliss
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Denial of Wisconsin Prisoner’s Request to Marry Psychologist, by Edward Lyon
- Federal Court Orders Videophone Access for Deaf Prisoners in Colorado, by Matthew Clarke
- Hawaii Prisoners Rebel Over Prison Conditions, Fined For Damages, by Kevin Bliss
- $200,000 Settlement in Lawsuit Over Louisiana Jail Guard Sexually Abusing Juvenile, by David M. Reutter
- Pennsylvania GEO-Run Jail Boss Resigns After Media Reveals Complaints of Racism, Abuse at Private Prison, by David M. Reutter
- Louisiana Sheriff Re-Elected Despite Prisoner Death Toll, by Jayson Hawkins
- Major Prison Health Care Companies Funnel Campaign Contributions to Sheriffs, Get Rewards, by David M. Reutter
- $2.5 Million Settlement Over Prisoner’s Restraint Death in Houston, Texas Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Neither Fines Nor Lawsuits Deter Corizon From Delivering Substandard Health Care, by Matthew Clarke
- $1.15 Million Settlement in Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Asthma Death, by David M. Reutter
- It’s Time For the Feds To Fund College Education For Prisoners, Again, by Anthony W. Accurso
- Oregon Lawmakers Prohibit Prison and Jail Telephone Kickbacks, by Mark Wilson
- Biden’s Current Prison Reform Stance Counter to His Abysmal Record, by David M. Reutter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Lethal Prison Electric Fences May Violate International Law, by Matthew Clarke
- Inside the US Marshals’ Secretive, Deadly Detention Empire, by Seth Freed Wessler
More from David M. Reutter:
- Class Action Certified in Lawsuit Alleging Raw Sewage Presence in Washington Jail, Oct. 1, 2026
- South Carolina Supreme Court Reverses Class Action Status in Prisoners’ Sexual Assault Lawsuit, Oct. 1, 2026
- Second Circuit Rules Eighth Amendment Governs Claims of Excessive Force Brought by Parole Violator, Oct. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit: Qualified Immunity Granted to Guard in Delayed Treatment for Prisoner who Suffered Heart Attack, Oct. 1, 2026
- New Mexico Supreme Court Announces Reasons-for-Delay Analysis Must Assess State’s Own Responsibility Rather Than Compare Parties’ Delay and Abrogates Precedent Employing Party-to-Party Offsets, Oct. 1, 2026
- Report Finds State Prison Systems Fail to Provide Adequate Assistance to Obtain Release Documentation, Oct. 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit Affirms Refusal to Expand Bivens to Claim Alleging Federal Prisoner Died from Denial of Treatment for Hepatitis C, Oct. 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Prisoner’s ADA Complaint Alleging Denial of Toileting and Hygiene Services, Oct. 1, 2026
- Virginia Report Finds Deaths Increasing as Prison Population Ages, Oct. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Holds Kentucky Deficient-Counsel Belated-Appeal Procedure Tolls Federal Habeas One-Year Limitations Period, Sept. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- $700,000 Paid by West Virginia for Jail Death, Claims Against Wexford Health Pending, Oct. 1, 2026. Wexford Health Services, Restraints, Settlements, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Deliberate Indifference.
- $5 Million Paid by Washington for Attempted Rape of Seattle Woman by Mentally Ill Prisoner Released to Halfway House, Oct. 1, 2026. Settlements, Failure to Train/Supervise, halfway houses, Criminal Sexual Abuse, Prison Classification.
- Prisoners At Indiana’s “Speedway Slammer” Settle Conditions Suits for $1.2 Million, Whistleblower Alleges Staff Mistreatment, Oct. 1, 2026. Work Conditions/Safety, Medication, Settlements, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Immigration Detention.
- Iowa Department of Corrections Settles Lawsuit and Agrees to Implement More Reliable Drug Testing Procedures and Fair Disciplinary Proceeding Policies, Oct. 1, 2026. Liberty Interests, Evidence, Drug Testing, Settlements, Burden of Proof.
- Maryland Pays $314,000 for Stonewalling Public Records Requests in Prisoner’s Dehydration Death, Oct. 1, 2026. DOC/BOP misconduct, Water, Attorney Fee Awards, Settlements, Public Records Act.
- Last of Three Oklahoma Jail Death Settlements Totaling $66.5 Million Paid for Fatal Dehydration of “Cookie Queen”, Oct. 1, 2026. Diabetes, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- $3.75 Million Paid by Wisconsin After Mentally Ill Prisoner Dies of Dehydration, Oct. 1, 2026. Water, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- $250,000 Paid by Nevada to Former Prisoner Denied Colonoscopy Who Developed Stage IV Cancer, Oct. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Cancer, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Deliberate Indifference.
- Second Circuit Rules Eighth Amendment Governs Claims of Excessive Force Brought by Parole Violator, Oct. 1, 2026. Eighth Amendment, Excessive Force, Qualified Immunity, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release.
- L.A. County Begins Making Nearly $5 Billion in Payouts to Survivors of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention, Sept. 1, 2026. Sexual Assault, Staff-Prisoner Assault, Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Settlements, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.

