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$6,500 Settlement After Eleventh Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Florida Jail Officials Who Repeatedly Opened Detainee’s Legal Mail
by David M. Reutter
On November 12, 2021, a settlement was reached under which four officials at the Duval County Jail (DCJ) in Jacksonville agreed to pay $6,500 to a detainee who alleged they repeatedly opened his legal mail outside his presence. That followed a decision by the U.S. Court ...
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More from this issue:
- Locked Up and Left to Die, by Sophie Novack,, Michael Barajas
- After 49 Years in Prison for a Murder in Which He Didn’t Pull the Trigger, Former Black Liberation Army Member Sundiata Acoli Wins Parole, by Chuck Sharman
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Louisiana Prisoner’s Excessive-Force Claim Despite Prison Disciplinary Conviction Issued for the Same Incident, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Louisiana Prisoner’s Suit Dismissed on Heck Grounds, Holds Related Disciplinary Convictions Don’t Absolutely Bar Excessive Force Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- Securus Rolls Out “Free” E-tablets to Texas Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
- Oregon Federal Court Issues Groundbreaking, Model COVID-19 Damage Class & Wrongful Death Class Certification, by Mark Wilson
- Eleventh Circuit Says Florida Prisoner Alleging Sexual Assault by Guard Need Not Also Prove Excessive Force and Malicious Intent, by David Reutter
- Washington Pays $3.25 Million for Negligent Medical Care Causing Preventable Prisoner Death, by Mark Wilson
- DOJ Secures Settlement With South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice at Detention Center Where Staff Hogtied and Bit Kids, by Brooke Kaufman
- Healthcare Audit in Utah Prisons Reveals “Inadequate Service” and “Systemic Deficiencies” After 18 Prisoner Deaths During Pandemic, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Ninth Circuit Holds California Prison Officials Entitled to Legislative Immunity When Promulgating Rules, by David Reutter
- After Paying $500,000 to Consultant Outed for Corruption Ties, Iowa DOC Accused of Allowing “Corporate Dodge”, by Jacob Barrett
- $12.5 Million Settlement Over Invasive Strip and Body Cavity Searches of NYC Jail Visitors, by Matthew Clarke
- Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting Uncovers Almost 1,000 Privileged Calls Recorded in Four County Jails, Sues York County for Denying Public Records Request, by Keith Sanders
- BOP Prisoners on Extended Home Confinement Not Headed Back to Prison When COVID-19 Emergency Ends, by Casey Bastian
- $500,001 Settlement Against Guard Who Groped Delaware Prisoner With Long History of Lost Cases, by Keith Sanders
- Kansas Appeals Court Vacates Prison Dentist’s Conviction for Sexually Abusing Prisoner, Says Touching Wasn’t “Lewd”, by Mark Wilson
- The Catalog of Carceral Surveillance: Mobile Correctional Facility Robots, by Beryl Lipton, Cooper Quintin
- Washington Pays $3 Million to Murdered Prisoner’s Family After Overriding Single-Cell Recommendation for Violent Cellmate, by Mark Wilson
- $275,000 Settlement Reached After Detainee’s Attempted Suicide at Illinois Jail, by David Reutter
- Settlement Finally Reached in Prisoners’ Hep-C Class-Action Against Connecticut DOC, by Edward Lyon
- Prison Phone Giant GTL Cuts Prices in Miami-Dade Jails, But Only After County Taps COVID-19 Relief Funds to Replace Forfeited Kickbacks, by Ashleigh Dye
- Kentucky Supreme Court Rules ‘Incarceration Fees’ May Not Be Collected After Charges Are Dismissed, by Casey Bastian
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Suit of Epileptic Illinois Prisoner Who Suffered Seizure and Fell From Top Bunk, by Edward Lyon
- $250,000 Paid to Woman Forced to Give Birth in California Jail Cell by Guards and CFMG Nurses, by Ashleigh Dye
- Sacramento Shooting Stokes Debate Over CDCR Rule Changes on Good Conduct Credit, by Matthew Clarke
- U.S. Prison and Jail Populations Flat or Rising Again After 2020 Decline Spurred by Pandemic, by Matthew Clarke
- Third Circuit Joins Fifth, Tenth and D.C. Circuits in Holding Heck Favorable-Termination Dismissals Are PLRA Strikes, by Mark Wilson
- Sixth Circuit: Michigan DOC’s Years-Long Delay in Access to Religious Services and Items Constitutes Constructive Denial of Religious Exercise, by Jacob Barrett
- Illinois Department of Corrections Cancels Contract with Canteen Provider Keefe, by Kevin Bliss
- Georgia Sheriff Victor Hill Facing Criminal Trial for Using Restraint Chair to Punish Jail Detainees, by David Reutter
- $7,000 Default Judgment Awarded in Failure to Protect Suit Against Former Arkansas Jail Guard, by Harold Hempstead
- Eighth Circuit Holds Pornography Policy Unconstitutional as Applied to South Dakota Prisoner, but Denies Relief, by David Reutter
- Ineffective Mississippi Prison Industries on the Chopping Block After Scathing Report, by Ashleigh Dye
- Federal Suit Challenging Iowa DOC Ban on Nude Images Moves Forward, Defendants Denied Summary Judgement on Due Process Claim, by David Reutter
- Overdoses Skyrocket in Tennessee Prisons During Pandemic Despite Visitation Restrictions, by Edward Lyon
- Third Circuit Reinstates Suit Filed by Transgender Prisoner Assaulted at New Jersey Federal Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- $17.5 Million Paid to Ohio Prisoner Left Quadriplegic After Brutal Attack by Guards, by Harold Hempstead
- New Jersey Sex Offenders Excluded From Programming, Chances for Early Release, by Mario Palomo
- “On-Going Distress and Harm” Persist at FCI Sheridan Months After Court-Ordered Inspection, by Brooke Kaufman
- Sixth Circuit Revives Tennessee Detainee’s Suit, Holds Lower Court Not Required to Retain Jurisdiction of State Law Claims After Dismissing Federal Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- $45,000 Paid by Idaho Jail to Settle Censorship Suit Filed by HRDC, by Jacob Barrett
- Illinois Inspector General Finds Prisoner Labor Used to Benefit DOC Employees, by Casey Bastian
- Fifth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Texas Sheriff Who Rehired Abusive Jailer Who in Turn Again Abused a Detainee, by Matthew Clarke
- $6,500 Settlement After Eleventh Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Florida Jail Officials Who Repeatedly Opened Detainee’s Legal Mail, by David Reutter
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- Fifth Circuit Greenlights Federal Takeover of Mississippi Jail, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit Revives Prisoner’s Claim Based on Guard’s Thwarting of Administrative Remedies, Aug. 1, 2025
- Tenth Circuit Ruling Paves Way for $2.7 Million Settlement for Intellectually Disabled Jail Detainee Raped by Sheriff, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit Agrees That Former Guantanamo Detainee Lacks Grounds to Sue for Waterboarding, Aug. 1, 2025
- Qualified Immunity Denied for Iowa Prison Doctor’s MRI Delay for Non-Medical Reasons, Aug. 1, 2025
- Ninth Circuit: Continuing-Violations Doctrine Applies for PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Purposes, Aug. 1, 2025
- First Circuit: Prosecutor’s Breach of Plea Agreement Requires Government’s Specific Performance of Agreement, Not Specific Performance by District Court, Aug. 1, 2025
- Oregon Prisoners Can Now Seek Economic Damages for Future Lost Income More Easily, July 15, 2025
- $22.5 Million Verdict Arrives Too Late for Wrongfully Convicted Illinois Prisoner, July 15, 2025
- First Circuit Revives Rhode Island Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim Against Guard, July 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- SCOTUS Clamps Down on Bivens Extension to Prisoner Beaten by BOP Guards at Virginia Lockup, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified, Bivens Actions.
- Class-Action Suit at BOP “Rape Club” in California Settled for Record $116 Million, July 15, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, DOC/BOP misconduct, Settlements, Injunctions, Class Actions.
- Oregon Prisoners Can Now Seek Economic Damages for Future Lost Income More Easily, July 15, 2025. Retaliation, Settlements, Defamation, Employment Deprivation.
- Ohio Sued by Non-Profit Law Firm for Opening Prisoner Legal Mail, July 15, 2025. Attorney Client, Legal Materials, Attorney Calls, Legal Mail.
- Arkansas DOC Settles Retaliation Claim by Prisoner Who Also Won Back Confiscated COVID-19 Stimulus, June 1, 2025. Retaliation for Organizing, Legal Materials, Legal Mail.
- $50,000 for Excessive Force Claim by Maryland Prisoner Who Used to Be a Guard, June 1, 2025. Classification, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Legal Mail.
- Smart Communications Files for Bankruptcy Protection, June 1, 2025. Telephones, Mail, Legal Mail, Private Phone Contractors.
- $1.2 Million in Settlements Reached in Suit Over Sacramento Jail Murder, May 1, 2025. Settlements, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- $18,000 for New York Prisoner Who Alleged Guards Planted Shank in Cell, May 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Cell Searches, Settlements.
- Missouri Pays More Than $1.2 Million for Deputy Warden’s Sexual Harassment Claim Against Warden, May 1, 2025. Staff-Staff Harassment, DOC/BOP misconduct, Settlements.