Motion to Dismiss in Eighth Amendment Suit Denied in Part by U.S. District Judge Christopher Conner has granted in part and denied in part a motion to dismiss filed by four Bureau of Prisons (BOP) defendants accused of Eighth Amendment violations. David Lee Womack sued D. Scott Dodrill, Harley Lappin, …
Abuse and Assaults Continue at Pennsylvania Jail by David Reutter by David M. Reutter An attorney representing a prisoner who suffered a near-fatal attack by another prisoner at Pennsylvania’s Lackawanna County Prison (LCP) has claimed that the incident demonstrates a pattern of mistreatment by staff at the facility. Prisoner Nicholas …
Mucha v. Boehm, PA, Complaint, Willful Failure to Protect Gang Beating, 2011 Case 5:11-cv-00624-TR Document 1 Filed 01/28/11 Page 1 of 22 IN TIlE liN U) STATES lllSTRICT conn FOR nUl EASTERN DlSTllICT OF PENNSYLVANIA JOliN H'litS MI'l'iIA. ;~ \I ~ PI;l1nufr '_, Lilli JAMI'S IlUIIIM. TOI 1!l1l1 iSl,mK. WILLIAM …
The Graying of America’s Prisons by James Ridgeway Frank Soffen, now 70 years old, has lived more than half his life in prison, and will likely die there. Sentenced to life for second-degree murder, Soffen has suffered four heart attacks and is confined to a wheelchair. He has lately been …
Crouse v. Allegheny County, PA, Complaint, Inmate Suicide, 2010 Case 2:09-cv-01221-DSC Document 47 Filed 12/11/10 Page 1 of 21 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA BEVERLY CROUSE, as Administrator of ) the Estate of Shiva Lal Acharya, deceased, ) on behalf of the estate …
Galarza v. Szalczyk, PA, Complaint, ICE Detention US Citizen, 2010 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA ERNESTO GALARZA, CIVIL ACTION Plaintiff, No. 10-_ _ _ __ v. MARK SZALCZYK, STEPHANIE FRITZGES, ICE DOES 1-5, ALLENTOWN DOES 6-10, LEHIGH COUNTY DOES 11-15, individually and in …
Allison v. GEO Group, PA, Order granting Settlement, strip search, 2010 10/20/2010 18:08 2158511420 REED SMITH 26 S Case 2:08-cv-00467-JD Document 74 Filed 10/22/10 Page 1 of 2 PAGE IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA PENNY ALLISON and ZORAN HOCEVAR, individually and on behalf …
Gartrell v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, PA, Complaint, Muslim Prayer Policy, 2020 Case 1:10-cv-02160-WWC-PT Document 1 Filed 10/20/2010 Page 1 of 23 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA ISADORE GARTRELL, Plaintiff, v. FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS; HOWARD HUFFORD, individually and in his official capacity …
Pennsylvania Prisoner Awarded $185,000 in Civil Rights Claim; Harassment Continues by David Reutter by David M. Reutter A Pennsylvania federal jury has awarded $185,000 to a prisoner in a civil rights action alleging conspiracy, retaliation, obstruction of access to the courts and defamation of character. Pennsylvania state prisoner Andre Jacobs …
Thou Shalt Not: Sexual Misconduct by Prison and Jail Chaplains by David Reutter by David M. Reutter Traditionally, the role of a chaplain in the correctional setting is to serve as a spiritual advisor to prisoners and help them meet the requirements of their religious faiths. Equally traditionally, chaplains have …
Clergy Who Advocate for Prisoners Barred from Prisons and Jails by As described in this month’s cover story, prison and jail chaplains accused of sexual misconduct often resign, retire, are fired or are sometimes prosecuted. In other cases, though, well-meaning clergy members who seek to help prisoners have been locked …
$2.9 Million Settlement in Suit against GEO over Suspicionless Strip Searches by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On May 20, 2010, a $2.9 million settlement was reached in a Pennsylvania federal civil rights lawsuit against GEO Group for performing suspicionless strip searches of people arrested for minor, non-violent, non-drug offenses. …
Pennsylvania Legislator / GEO Board Member Faces Criminal Charges by Matthew Clarke by Matt Clarke On November 12, 2009, Pennsylvania state representative John M. Perzel was charged with 82 counts of theft, conflict of interest, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and hindering apprehension or prosecution as a result of Attorney General …
Pennsylvania County Jail Settles Medical Indifference Suit for $55,000 by Butler County, Pennsylvania has agreed to settle a medical deliberate indifference lawsuit for $55,000. In April 2006, James Raub was arrested and taken to the Butler County Prison. During the booking process, he told guards and a nurse that he …
Pennsylvania Judges Involved in Corruption Case Face Liability; 5,000 Convictions Thrown Out by David Reutter by David M. Reutter A Pennsylvania U.S. District Court has granted absolute judicial immunity to two former state court judges in a consolidated class-action civil rights suit. That immunity, however, only applied to judicial acts, …
PLRA Attorney Fee Caps Constitutional, Third Circuit Decides by The provisions of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) that cap attorney fees do not violate equal protection, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit decided on May 28, 2009. Pennsylvania prisoner Glenndol Parker sued prison guard Joseph Conway …
Assessment of Prison Account Without Seizure of Funds Implicates Due Process in Third Circuit by Mark Wilson In an important case of first impression, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held that an assessment of a prisoner’s trust account without an actual seizure of funds implicates a …
Allison v. GEO Group, PA, Settlement Agreement, strip search, 2010 Case 2:08-cv-00467-JD Document 60-3 Filed 03/01/10 Page 1 of 22 EXHIBITS TO MEMORANDUM OF LAW 1. Settlement Agreement, with following attached Exhibits: A. Proposed Claim Form B. Proposed Class Notice: Summary Notice (for mailing and posting), Longer Mailed Notice C. …
Swine Flu Widespread in Prisons and Jails, but Deaths are Few by David Reutter by David M. Reutter For hundreds of years the cramped, overcrowded and often filthy confines of dungeons, prisons, jails and other places of imprisonment have served as incubators for infectious diseases, which have killed more prisoners …
Pennsylvania Prisoner Gets $12,500 in Retaliation Suit After Remittitur by John E Dannenberg by John E. Dannenberg A pro se Pennsylvania state prisoner won a jury verdict of $5,000 in compensatory damages plus $100,000 in punitive damages against a prison official who openly and repeatedly retaliated against him after he …
