Gatewood v. Lancaster County, PA, Settlement, Excessive Force, 2019 -··----------., GENERAL RELEASE AND SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENT, that Marquice Gatewood, in my own right ("Relcasor"), being oflegal age' and sound mind, for (l) FOURTY-FIVE I THOUSAND DOLLARS ($45,000.00), inclusive of all foes, costs, and expenses, including, …
Pennsylvania DOC’s New Mail Policy Robs Prisoners of the Personal Touch; Lawsuits Over Legal Mail Settle by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter Last year the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PDOC) implemented a policy that prohibits prisoners from receiving original correspondence from their family members and friends. The policy …
Pennsylvania Police Officer Shoots Unarmed Man in Holding Cell, is “Excused” by DA by Scott Grammer by Scott Grammer On March 3, 2019, Brian Riling, 38, was in custody after being arrested on intimidation charges. His girlfriend told police that he had sent her a number of text messages threatening …
Former Prisoner Named Secretary of Pennsylvania Board of Pardons by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke It may have seemed like an April Fool’s joke to many Pennsylvanians when, on April 1, 2019, former prisoner Brandon Flood became the new secretary of the state’s Board of Pardons (BOP). In fact, it …
$30,000 Settlement for Pennsylvania Pretrial Detainee Subjected to Excessive Force by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter A $30,000 settlement was reached in a lawsuit alleging that guards at the Clinton County Correctional Facility (CCCF) in McElhattan, Pennsylvania used excessive force on a pretrial detainee. The suit also claimed …
Pennsylvania County Pays $1.1 Million to Former Prisoner Beaten by Guards by Chad Marks by Chad Marks Patrick J. Haight, 53, was being held at the Erie County Prison in Pennsylvania on a $500 bond for driving under the influence when he was viciously beaten by guards. On May 10, …
Mumia Abu-Jamal to Receive New Appellate Hearing by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter “In order for the criminal justice system to stand, justice must be completely just,” Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge Leon Tucker wrote in an order granting former death row prisoner and PLN columnist …
$60,000 Settlement for Female Pennsylvania Prisoner in Sexual Assault Suit by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit claiming a female prisoner at Pennsylvania’s Lackawanna County Prison (LCP) was “repeatedly sexually harassed and assaulted by numerous corrections officers over the course of …
$118,000 Attorney Fee Award in Pennsylvania DOC Public Records Case by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania awarded $118,458.37 in attorney fees in a public records suit brought by Uniontown Newspapers. The award followed the court’s finding that the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PDOC) …
$30,000 Settlement in Pennsylvania Jail Excessive Strip Search Suit by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County Prison (LCP) paid $30,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging a female pre-trial detainee was strip searched four times over her three-day stay at the facility. Rebecca Brown was arrested on …
Drug Treatment Is Reaching More Prisons and Jails by JB Nicholas Recent legal victories have spurred counties and states to provide medication-assisted treatment to prisoners struggling with substance use. by JB Nicholas, The Appeal, a nonprofit criminal justice news site Her father sold her drugs. Her sister was strung out. …
Manus v. Erie County, PA, Order of Approval, Wrongful Death, 2019 Case 1:18-cv-00202-SPB Document 46 Filed 07/08/19 Page 1 of 1 IN THE DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA BRYANNA MANUS and AMANDA TUCHOLSKI, as CO-ADMINISTRATORS of the ESTATE of FELIX L. MANUS, ) ) ) ) ) …
Pennsylvania Prisoners’ Cigarette Stashes to Go Up in Smoke by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney Effective July 1, 2019, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) banned tobacco use by staff and prisoners at all state prisons. Announced by DOC Secretary John Wetzel in March, the new rule means that cigarettes, …
Manus v. Erie County, PA, Petition to Approve Settlement, Wrongful Death, 2019 Case 1:18-cv-00202-SPB Document 45 Filed 06/28/19 Page 1 of 4 IN THE DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA BRYANNA MANUS and AMANDA TUCHOLSKI, as CO-ADMINISTRATORS of the ESTATE of FELIX L. MANUS, Plaintiffs, v. ERIE COUNTY, …
Third Circuit: Female Jail Guard Loses Discrimination, Wrongful Termination Case by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter On December 31, 2018, in an unpublished ruling, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a summary judgment order in a lawsuit that alleged employment discrimination. The appellate court found that officials …
Pennsylvania Town Rejects Private Prison Firm by Edward Lyon by Ed Lyon Regular readers of Prison Legal News are well aware of the abysmal reputations that private, for-profit prisons have earned. Apparently word travels and people on the outside eventually listen and pay attention to such matters, as the citizens …
Taha v. Bucks County (Bensalem Township), PA, et al., Verdict, Unlawful Dissemination, PA, 2019 Case 2:12-cv-06867-WB Document 338 Filed 05/29/19 Page 1 of 1 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA DARYOUSH TAHA, Plaintiff, CIVIL ACTION NO. 12-6867 V. CLASS ACTION BUCKS COUNTY, et al., …
