11th Circuit Finds S.Ct. Overruled Heightened Pleading Standard by The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that the heightened pleading standard is not applicable in a § 1983 action against a non-governmental entity that cannot raise qualified immunity as a defense" pursuant to Leatherman v. Tarrant County Narcotics Intelligence & …
Michigan Jail Settles Unreasonable Use of Force Case for $130,000 by Amanda Hickman On March 1, 2005, the Wayne County jail in Detroit, Michigan settled an excessive use of force case for $130,00. Plaintiff, Victor Walker, alleged that on October 12, 2000, while being held in the Wayne County Jail …
PLRA Limits Prisoner's Attorney Fees Incurred Defending by PLRA Limits Prisoner's Attorney Fees Incurred Defending Appeal of Successful § 1983 Suit by John E. Dannenberg The Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held that after a prisoner wins a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 lawsuit for damages, the Prison Litigation Reform …
Mason v. Granholm, MI, Complaint, Anti-Civil Rights Amendment Unconstitutional, 2005 5:05-cv-73943-JCO-DAS Doc # 2 Filed 10/20/05 Pg 1 of 50 Pg ID 64 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION NATHEAULEEN MASON, RENEE WILLIAMS, YOLANDA LIMMITT, HELISHA BAILEY, Case No. 05-73943 TAMMY LaCROSS, VELVET FARLEYtons ocT 20 …
Reliance Solely On Guard's Version of Incident Improper by In an unpublished decision, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the summary judgment dismissal of a prisoner's civil rights action against Michigan prison guards holding that the district court had erroneously relied on the guards' version of disputed fats. …
No Qualified Immunity for Michigan Prison Warden in Guard's Murder by The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, held that Tripett, the warden of the Thumb Correctional Facility in Michigan (TCF), was not entitled to qualified immunity, in a suit brought by the estate of a …
Ban On Male Guards In Michigan Women's Prisons Upheld by Michael Rigby The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a Michigan Department of Corrections policy prohibiting male guards from holding certain positions in the state's female prisons did not violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act …
Guard Denied Qualified Immunity in MI Prisoner's Retaliation Claim by The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal has affirmed a Michigan District Court's order denying a guard's qualified immunity defense in a suit filed by prisoner David J. Scott, a prisoner at Carson City Regional Facility. Scott's complaint alleged guard Philip …
Michigan: Money Bilked From Prisoners by Michigan: Money Bilked From Prisoners Used For Bonuses While Michigan was trying to boost its cash-starved budget through spending cuts and tax increases, those in the Attorney General's Office were feasting on money squeezed from state prisoners. In October 2004, Attorney General Mike Cox …
U.S. Supreme Court: Michigan Plea Bargainers Have Right to Counsel On Appeal by by John E. Dannenberg The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Michigan defendants convicted pursuant to a plea of nolo contendre or to a plea bargain are constitutionally entitled to appeal their convictions to the Michigan Court of …
Gibson v. Blankstrom, MI, Wrongful Death, SJ Order 205 Case 1:03-cv-00053-MOB Document 266 Filed 08/04/2005 Page 1 of 25 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION ANTOINETTE GIBSON, Personal Representative of the Estate of OZY VAUGHN, Deceased, Case No. 1:03-CV-53 HON. RICHARD ALAN ENSLEN Plaintiff, v. JILL …
Settlements Reached In Alabama Women Prisoners' Class-Action Suit by by Matthew T. Clarke On August 23, 2004, U. S. District Judge Myron Thompson signed a settlement order in a class-action civil-rights lawsuit brought by prisoners at three Alabama Department of Corrections women's prisons challenging their conditions of confinement. The suit …
U.S. Supreme Court: Michigan Appellate Attorneys Have by U.S. Supreme Court: Michigan Appellate Attorneys Have No Third Party Standing To Sue For Rights Of Future Unrepresented Prisoners by John E. Dannenberg The U.S. Supreme Court, sidestepping the important question of the constitutionality of a Michigan state law that prohibited appointment …
Michigan Guard Who Procured Hit On Prisoner Must Pay $200,000 Damages by by Marvin Mentor A Michigan federal jury returned verdicts of $75,000 in compensatory damages and $125,000 in punitive damages against a Michigan state prison guard who paid one prisoner six cigarettes to viciously pummel another. Michigan prisoner Barton …
Alabama Workers' Comp Act No Bar to Psychological Torts by The Alabama Court of Appeals held that Alabama's Workers' Compensation Act is not an exclusive remedy for tort claims of employees alleging purely psychological injuries. Three female employees of Correctional Medical Services, Inc. (CMS) brought suit against CMS employees of …
Private Youth Prison Gouging Michigan Taxpayers by Five years after beginning its first flirtation with for-profit prisons, Michigan is learning an invaluable lesson: Despite the hype, private prisons are not cost-effective. In the months following its 1999 opening, the Michigan Youth Correctional Facility (MYCF) was criticized over assaults, staff turnover, …
Sixth Circuit Clarifies "Verifying Medical Evidence" Requirement Of Napier by Sixth Circuit Clarifies "Verifying Medical Evidence" Requirement Of Napier The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that when a prisoner's medical malady is so obviously serious that even a layman would easily recognize the need for medical attention, …
Battle Over Judicial Secrecy Continues by by Michael Rigby As the trend towards secrecy in the U.S. judiciary continues to grow, so does the constitutional debate over such practices as sealing cases, hiding proceedings, and conducting clandestine searches. Recent decisions by the D.C. and Second Circuits have been favorable, but …
Recharacterization Requires Notice Or Opportunity To Withdraw by The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a Michigan prisoner's improperly filed medical claim should not have been recharacterized without his consent or an opportunity to withdraw, nor should it have been dismissed with prejudice. Eric Martin, a Michigan state …
Michigan Prisoner Awarded $376,525 For Back Injury Sustained In Crash by A Michigan prisoner has been awarded $376,525 for back injuries sustained in a prison van crash. Lorenzo Johnson, a 40-year-old state prisoner, was being transferred from one prison to another when the van he was riding in hit a …
