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After Summary Judgment Denied, California Jail Officials Pay $55,000 for Breaking Detainee’s Arm
by Mark Wilson
On July 27, 2021, just 25 days after a federal court in California denied summary judgment to San Mateo County Jail guards on a detainee’s excessive force claims, county officials quickly paid him $55,000 for breaking his arm.
When the detainee, Oscar Tapia-Carmona, was …
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More from this issue:
- Looking Deep Inside America’s Legalized Torture Chambers, by Mark Wilson
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Federal Prisoners Finally Receiving Benefits 42 Months After First Step Act Became Law, by Casey Bastian
- SCOTUS Sides With Condemned Georgia Prisoner Who Wants To Be Executed by Firing Squad, by David Reutter
- New York Prisoner’s Suit Over Thirteen-Year Solitary Stint Survives, by David Reutter
- Alabama Prisoners Continue to Die at Alarming Rate, More Than One Every Week in 2022, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Death and Inhumane Living Conditions Persist in Nation’s Worst Jail, by Kevin Bliss
- Third Circuit Holds Consent of All Parties to Magistrate Judge Jurisdiction Required Before Judgment Against Pennsylvania Prisoners, by Mark Wilson
- SCOTUS Lets “State Secrets” Privilege Bar CIA Contractor Testimony About Torture Already Publicly Known, by Mark Wilson
- New Florida Law Shrouds Executions in Secrecy, by Kevin Bliss
- SCOTUS Kills Condemned Ohio Prisoner’s Effort to Secure Evidence of Mental Impairment to Bolster Habeas Petition, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- ACLU Pries Loose Employment Record of New Hampshire Trooper Who Detained Woman on Falsified Evidence, Leading to $237,500 Settlement, by Matthew Clarke
- Prison Profiteer Is Using Sandra Bland’s Death to Sell Surveillance Technology, by Brian Dolinar
- $3.75 Million Settlement for Estate of Washington Prisoner Who Died From Untreated Breast Cancer, by David Reutter
- Idaho Provides Nation’s Second Gender Confirmation Surgery for Transgender Prisoner, by Mark Wilson
- After $90,000 Settlement for Sexual Abuse of Oregon Juvenile Detainee, Second Suit Filed Against Now-Imprisoned Former Youth Counselor, by Chuck Sharman
- $2.45 Million Paid by Wellpath and Macomb County, Michigan, After Detainee’s Withdrawal Death in Jail, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Dark, Smoky Cells: As Wildfires Threaten More Prisons, the Incarcerated Ask Who Will Save Their Lives, by Alleen Brown
- Nebraska Crime Commission Says Dodge County Jail Noncompliant With Reporting Requirements, by Harold Hempstead
- SCOTUS Kneecaps Condemned Prisoners Claiming Ineffective Assistance of Counsel, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- New York Closes Moriah ‘Shock Camp’, by Kevin Bliss
- After Summary Judgment Denied, California Jail Officials Pay $55,000 for Breaking Detainee’s Arm, by Mark Wilson
- Two Attorneys, Three Employees Sentenced in Bribery Scandal at MTC Texas Prisons, by Keith Sanders
- Third Illinois Guard Found Guilty In Fatal Beating of Handcuffed State Prisoner, but Attorney General Refuses To Settle With Family, by Matthew Clarke
- Class Certification Maintained in New York Prisoners’ Suit for Damages Due to Illegally Imposed Post-Release Supervision, by David Reutter
- Wisconsin Supreme Court Guts State’s Fair Employment Act Protection for Returning Prisoners With Domestic Violence Convictions, by Jacob Barrett
- California Appeals Court Lets CDCR Define Term Adopted From Legislation, by Kevin Bliss
- Sixth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Ohio Prison Doctor After Prisoner Blinded by Stroke, by David Reutter
- New Jersey Supreme Court Forces County to Cough up Settlement Documents With Prisoner Raped By Jail Guard Who Snitched on Fellow Guards, by David Reutter
- Ninth Circuit Terminates Idaho Prison Conditions Lawsuit After 40 Years of Litigation, by David Reutter
- $1,050,000 Settlement Reached in Disabled Illinois Prisoner’s ADA Lawsuit, by David Reutter
- Idaho Joins Missouri in Banning Incarceration for Inability To Pay Court Fines, Fees, by Jayson Hawkins
- Ninth Circuit Sends PLN’s Arizona Censorship Lawsuit Back to District Court, by David Reutter
- Census Bureau Report Finds Risk of Death Nearly Triples for Prisoners After Release, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio County Pays $4 Million To Settle Claim Over Death of Jail Detainee, by Matthew Clarke
- $7 Million Paid to California Detainee Left Quadriplegic Due to Jail Guards’ Alleged Negligence, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Vacates California’s COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate for Prison Employees, by Mark Wilson
- $2.5 Million in Confiscated COVID-19 Relief Funds Returned to Arkansas Prisoners After Court Issues Injunction, 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:
- 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.
- Wave of Staff Arrests Exposes Persistent Misconduct at South Carolina Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Obstruction of Justice.
- Florida DOC Rebuked for Seizing Prisoner’s Excessive Force Settlement to Cover Incarceration Liens, Sept. 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Settlements, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Trust Accounts, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- Eight Circuit Reverses Denial of Partial Qualified Immunity in Detainee’s Pepper Ball Claim, Remands Excessive Force Claims, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Qualified Immunity, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Four Massachusetts Guards Face Charges for Assault on Prisoners During Brawl, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- Last of 11 Guards Sentenced in Death of New York Prisoner, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), False Statements/Perjury, Obstruction of Justice.
- $500,000 for Mentally Ill Detainee Beaten by Guard at Ohio Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Summary Judgment, Settlements, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- $3 Million Paid by San Diego County for Diabetic Detainee’s Jail Death; NaphCare Settles Separately for Undisclosed Amount, Sept. 1, 2026. Naphcare, Diabetes, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Michigan DOC Legal Payouts Top $7 Million in FY 2025, Less than One Percent of $2.15 Billion Operating Budget, Sept. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Damages, Settlements.
- Troubled Illinois Lockup Sees Guard Abuses, Prisoners on Hunger Strike, Sept. 1, 2026. Hunger Strikes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Administrative Detention/Segregation.

