$5,040 Awarded in Federal Prison Stabbing by A Georgia federal district court, after a non-jury trial, held the United States Government was liable under the Federal Tort Claims Act in a prisoner on prisoner stabbing. The stabbing was committed by Steve Rollins, a prisoner of the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary, who …
Counsel Cannot Direct Witness Not to Answer Questions by A federal district court in Georgia granted a plaintiff's Motion to Compel answers to deposition questions where counsel advised the witness not to answer the questions. The Court held there was no claim of privilege, and the questions were not harassing …
GA Prisoners Seeking to Appeal the Denial of a Motion to Intervene Must Apply for Interlocutory Review by GA Prisoners Seeking to Appeal the Denial of a Motion to Intervene Must Apply for Interlocutory Review Prison Health Services, Inc. (PHS) was awarded a contract to provide health care to prisoners …
$70,000 Verdict in Georgia Prisoner's Assault by Guards by After he was escorted to his cell for disciplinary segregation, Georgia prisoner Ernest D. Johnson was beat unconscious by guards Brian Breeden and Sgt. Rudolph Gomez. Once inside the cell, the guards attacked Johnson. They choked, stomped, and struck him with …
Ten-Day Limit to Appeal Denial of Class Certification by Plaintiffs' discretionary appeal of denial of class certification under Rule 23(f), amended 1998, is governed by a ten-day time limit which (a) is tolled during the pendency of a motion for reconsideration, and (b) means ten days exclusive of weekends and …
Georgia Appeals Court Upholds $600,000 Judgment Against CMS by On July 5, 2001, the Court of Appeals of Georgia Upheld a trial court's $600,000 award to Stephanie Stitt, a former state prisoner, who suffered permanent nerve damage as a result of Correctional Medical Service's (CMS) egregiously inadequate treatment of her …
12 Day Delay Between Arrest, First Court Appearance Illegal by The law is clearly established that a pre-trial detainee cannot be held for 12 days before being brought before a judge or allowed to pay bail. This is another case where the plaintiff was picked up on a warrant, there …
General Compensatory Damages Upheld by 11th Circuit by A memorandum from the county counsel containing legal advice, but not designated "privileged" or "confidential," was properly admitted into evidence notwithstanding a claim of attorney-client privilege, absent evidence regarding who, if anyone, received it other than its addressees, or what the addressees …
Prison and CMS Liable for Prisoner's Asthma Death by The court of appeals for the Eleventh circuit held that Georgia prison officials were liable for a prisoner's death from asthma. The prison officials were deliberately indifferent to the prisoner's health and the prison lacked adequate medical facilities. That the Georgia …
Atlanta Jail Conditions Unconstitutional by A federal district court in Georgia approved a consent decree against the Fulton county jail in Atlanta, GA, due to inhumane conditions. Court held that medical care was substandard, detainees were exposed to communicable diseases. Due to vermin infestation there was no clean place to …
Jim Crow Segregation Laws Illegal by A three judge district court struck down as unconstitutional Georgia statutes requiring the racial segregation of state prisons and local jails. Court also held prisoners lacked standing to demand prisons and jails to hire black staff. Interesting historical description of Jim Crow prisons. See: …
Prisoner Organizers Transferred for Safety from Staff by The court of appeals for the Fifth circuit affirmed a district court injunction ordering two prisoner activists transferred to another prison for protection from prison staff. The plaintiffs were accused of inciting the burning of prison buildings and that their lives would …
GA Detainee Awarded $50,000 in Damages, Plus Fees, Over Jail Conditions by The court of appeals for the Eleventh circuit affirmed a district court ruling awarding a Georgia jail detainee $45,000 in compensatory damages, $5,000 in punitive damages and $13,376.25 in attorney fees after he was held in disgusting jail …
BOP Media Access Rule Upheld by The court of appeals for the Eleventh circuit held that the Bureau of Prison's media access rule, 28 C.F.R. § 540.2(6)(4) that limits prisoner media access only to people employed full time as journalists is constitutional. The court noted that neither prisoners nor the …
Evidentiary Hearing Required Before PLRA Termination of Consent Decree by Evidentiary Hearing Required Before PLRA Termination of Consent Decrees The court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has held that a district court must hold an evidentiary hearing to determine if there are current and ongoing" violations of class member's …
Untimely Grievance Not Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies by The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held a prisoner cannot claim exhaustion of administrative remedies by filing an untimely grievance and claiming further exhaustion would be futile. This 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 action was filed by a Georgia prisoner claiming Eighth and …
BOP Visit Rules Do Not Create Liberty Interest; Spouse May Sign Documents on Behalf of a Spouse by BOP Visit Rules Do Not Create Liberty Interest; Spouse May Sign Documents on Behalf of a Spouse The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has held that the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) …
Federal Jury Awards $225,000 to Georgia Prisoner Denied Glaucoma Medication by In this case published in April 1991, a federal jury awarded $225,000 to a man who was denied prescribed glaucoma medicine while in the Fulton County (Georgia) Jail. Plaintiff Smith (first name unknown), was arrested for trafficking cocaine and …
Georgia Jury Awards $15,000 for Illegal Strip Search by Marilyn Snyder was pulled over in Georgia's Habersham County for suspected driving while under the influence. After she failed a roadside breath test, she was taken to the county jail where she was strip- searched. Thereafter, Snyder was given an Intoxilizer …
$200,000 Paid for Georgia Prisoner's Improper Detainment by Michael A. Vallone was arrested on three misdemeanor charges and detained at Georgia's Douglas County Jail for 7.5 months. He alleged he was not allowed access to an attorney or bail bondsman, and was virtually lost within the jail system. He was …
