HRDC Files Suit Against Michigan DOC Over Systemic, Statewide Censorship by On August 22, 2019, the Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC), PLN’s parent non-profit organization, filed suit in federal court in the Eastern District of Michigan after its publications mailed to state prisoners were censored by prison officials. The 36-page …
$860,000 Settlement in Suit Over Michigan Female Prisoner’s Suicide by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) agreed to pay $860,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the estate of a female prisoner who hanged herself after a guard placed a bet on whether …
Court Declines to Seal Records in Michigan Prisoner’s Excessive Force Case by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter A Michigan federal district court initially held that a prisoner’s allegation that a guard’s use of a Taser constituted excessive force stated a viable claim. The court also denied the defendants’ …
Prison’s Refusal to Allow Wiccan Services Must be Reviewed for Compelling Governmental Interest by Kevin Bliss by Kevin Bliss Mario Sentelle Cavin, incarcerated at the Macomb Correctional Facility in Michigan, filed an appeal in the Sixth Circuit after a federal district court ruled that his religious freedoms had not been …
Herriges v. County of Macomb, MI, Complaint, Failure to Provide Medical Care, 2019 Case 2:19-cv-12193-DML-EAS ECF No. 23, PageID.193 Filed 10/30/19 Page 1 of 61 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION CAROL HERRIGES, as Personal Representative of the ESTATE OF DIETER HERRIGES-LOVE, Deceased, Case No.: 19-cv-12193 …
Sixth Circuit Defines ‘Serious Physical Injury’ for 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g) Purposes by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has defined the term “serious physical injury” in the text of 28 U.S.C. § 1915(g). Michael Gresham is a state prisoner serving a …
Ackerman v. Washington, MI, Settlement, Kosher Meals in Prison, 2019 Case 4:13-cv-14137-LVP-MKM ECF No. 213 filed 10/12/19 PageID.2176 Page 1 of 7 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION GERALD ACKERMAN and MARK SHAYKIN, NO. 4:13-cv-14137 Plaintiffs, HON. LINDA V. PARKER v HEIDI WASHINGTON, Defendant. Daniel E. …
Michigan Prisoner Prevails in First Amendment Retaliation Case; $30,000 in Damages and Attorney Fees by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter A Michigan federal district court has awarded $18,325.28 in attorney fees and costs in a prisoner’s civil rights action, which followed a jury verdict on First Amendment retaliation …
$157,000 Settlement in Michigan DOC Employee Discrimination Case by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) agreed to pay $157,500 to settle a lawsuit alleging it had discriminated against a female prison guard. Merrianne Weberg, 58, began working for the MDOC in 1992 and …
Martin v. Michigan DOC, MI, Order Approving Settlement, Wrongful Death - Dehydration, 2019 Case 2:17-cv-11845-DML-SDD ECF No. 255 filed 10/03/19 PageID.5281 Page 1 of 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION ROBERT MARTIN, as Personal Representative of the estate of DARLENE MARTIN, Deceased, Plaintiff, v. Case …
Roe v. Snyder, MI, Opinion and Order, Sex Offender Registration, 2019 Case 2:16-cv-13353-MAG-DRG ECF No. 107 filed 09/09/19 PageID.1665 Page 1 of 8 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION MARY ROE, Plaintiff, Civil Action No. 16-cv-13353 v. HON. MARK A. GOLDSMITH RICHARD D. SNYDER, et al., …
Over $488,000 Awarded to Former Michigan Prison Warden in Retaliation Suit by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter A federal district court awarded $488,111.78 to Jeffrey P. Larson, formerly a warden with the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC). He alleged that he was subjected to retaliation for defending and …
Michigan: $9,750 in Damages and Costs in Prison Ramadan Violation Suit by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter A Michigan federal district court awarded costs in a case that alleged prison officials violated the religious rights of four Michigan prisoners during their observance of Ramadan – a holy month …
HRDC v Winn, MI DOC censorship suit, complaint 2019 Case 2:19-cv-12470-MFL-DRG ECF No. 1 filed 08/22/19 PageID.1 Page 1 of 36 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER, ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) vs. ) ) O’BELL WINN, in his official …
Death Rate of Prisoners in Michigan Much Higher than Reported by Kevin W. Bliss by Kevin W. Bliss An investigation by the Detroit Free Press into the Michigan Department of Corrections’ (MDOC) reporting of prisoner deaths revealed major discrepancies. Since 2013, the total number of deaths reported by the MDOC …
$1.1 Million Settlement for Michigan Parole Officer in Sexual Harassment Suit by David M. Reutter by David M. Reutter The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle a lawsuit alleging parole officer Shannon Woods was subjected to sexual harassment and a hostile work environment for …
Graham v. Murtland, MI, Order, Taser, 2019 Case 1:16-cv-00149-RJJ-PJG ECF No. 81 filed 07/19/19 PageID.533 Page 1 of 4 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION ______________________ GREGORY GRAHAM, ) ) ) Plaintiff, ) ) v. ) ) DOUGLAS MURTLAND, ) ) Defendant. ) ____________________________________) …
Yehia v. Michigan Department of Corrections, complaint, racial discrimination, harassment, 2019 Case 2:19-cv-12019-SFC-RSW ECF No. 1 filed 07/09/19 PageID.1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN SOUTHERN DIVISION HIZAM YEHIA Case No. Honorable Plaintiff, v. MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, and FRANK SAWYER in his individual capacity, Defendants. JONATHAN R. …
Michigan: Settlement in Class-Action Suit by Prisoners with Hearing Disabilities by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan has approved a final settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service (MPAAS) on behalf of about 200 deaf and …
