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Oregon Federal Court Issues Groundbreaking, Model COVID-19 Damage Class & Wrongful Death Class Certification
by Mark Wilson
On April 1, 2022, the federal court for the District of Oregon granted class-action certification to a suit brought by state prisoners accusing Gov. Kate Brown (D) and officials with the state Department of Corrections (DOC) of inadequate response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The …
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More from this issue:
- Locked Up and Left to Die, by Michael Barajas, Sophie Novack,
- 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
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Louisiana Prisoner’s Excessive-Force Claim Despite Prison Disciplinary Conviction Issued for the Same Incident, by Matthew Clarke
- 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
- After Paying $500,000 to Consultant Outed for Corruption Ties, Iowa DOC Accused of Allowing “Corporate Dodge”, by Jacob Barrett
- Ninth Circuit Holds California Prison Officials Entitled to Legislative Immunity When Promulgating Rules, by David Reutter
- $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 Cooper Quintin, Beryl Lipton
- $275,000 Settlement Reached After Detainee’s Attempted Suicide at Illinois Jail, by David Reutter
- Washington Pays $3 Million to Murdered Prisoner’s Family After Overriding Single-Cell Recommendation for Violent Cellmate, by Mark Wilson
- 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
- $250,000 Paid to Woman Forced to Give Birth in California Jail Cell by Guards and CFMG Nurses, by Ashleigh Dye
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Suit of Epileptic Illinois Prisoner Who Suffered Seizure and Fell From Top Bunk, by Edward Lyon
- 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
- Illinois Department of Corrections Cancels Contract with Canteen Provider Keefe, by Kevin Bliss
- Sixth Circuit: Michigan DOC’s Years-Long Delay in Access to Religious Services and Items Constitutes Constructive Denial of Religious Exercise, by Jacob Barrett
- 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
- Ineffective Mississippi Prison Industries on the Chopping Block After Scathing Report, by Ashleigh Dye
- Eighth Circuit Holds Pornography Policy Unconstitutional as Applied to South Dakota Prisoner, but Denies Relief, by David Reutter
- Overdoses Skyrocket in Tennessee Prisons During Pandemic Despite Visitation Restrictions, by Edward Lyon
- Federal Suit Challenging Iowa DOC Ban on Nude Images Moves Forward, Defendants Denied Summary Judgement on Due Process Claim, by David Reutter
- 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
- “On-Going Distress and Harm” Persist at FCI Sheridan Months After Court-Ordered Inspection, by Brooke Kaufman
- New Jersey Sex Offenders Excluded From Programming, Chances for Early Release, by Mario Palomo
- 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
- Fifth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Texas Sheriff Who Rehired Abusive Jailer Who in Turn Again Abused a Detainee, by Matthew Clarke
- Illinois Inspector General Finds Prisoner Labor Used to Benefit DOC Employees, by Casey Bastian
- $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 Mark Wilson:
- Indiana Prisoner Sues Prison Abolition Group, Wins $1,097 Default Judgment, April 26, 2024
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Minnesota Jail Guard Accused of Grabbing and Squeezing Detainee’s Penis, Feb. 1, 2024
- Former Oregon Prison Nurse Gets 30 Years for Raping Prisoners, Dec. 1, 2023
- After Ninth Circuit Refuses to Compel Arbitration, National Class Certified in HRDC’s Challenge to Jail and Prison Debit Card Fees, Oct. 15, 2023
- Seventh Circuit Revives Illinois Prisoner’s Claim Over Knee Surgery Delayed 29 Months, Oct. 15, 2023
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates North Carolina Prisoner’s Suit, Finding Grievance Procedure Availability an Open Question, Oct. 15, 2023
- Congress Forces BOP to Upgrade Security Cameras, Sept. 15, 2023
- Oregon Will Hold Release Hearings for 73 Prisoners Sentenced to LWOP as Juveniles, Sept. 15, 2023
- Senators Slam “Egregious” Prisoner Sexual Abuse by BOP Employees, Sept. 15, 2023
- Minnesota Supreme Court Denies Qualified Immunity for Delayed Transfer of Sex Offenders, Sept. 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- Hospital Keeps Sending Detainees Back Without Care to County Jail in Colorado, May 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Pregnant Women Detained in Jail: The Hideous Story of In-Custody Births, May 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, OB/GYN, Failure to Treat, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $9.8 Million in Settlements Reached with South Carolina County and Wellpath in Gruesome Jail Death, May 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Sanitation, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- NaphCare Pays $875,000 to Settle New York License Violations, Banned from State for Five Years, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $2.135 Million Partial Settlement Reached in Schizophrenic Detainee’s Death from “Gross Medical Neglect” at South Carolina Jail, May 1, 2026. Prison Health Services, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026. Drug Overdose, Overcrowding, Sanitation, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Negligence, Lack of Training at Ohio’s Cuyahoga County Jail Led to String of Deaths, May 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug Overdose, Jail Specific, Failure to Train/Supervise, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $750,000 Paid by NaphCare for New York Jail Suicide, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Houston Jail Renews $38 Million Contract to Outsource Detainees to Private Lockups, April 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Failure to Treat, Overcrowding, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026. Naphcare, Qualified Immunity, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.

