Inmates v Saginaw County, Michigan
Attorneys Request to Enlarge Number of Class Members
Attorneys want to expand a proposed class-action lawsuit against Saginaw County on claims that jail guards abused inmates who were serving sentences.
Initially, attorneys sued the county over activities that took place before inmates went to trial. Yet, on Wednesday, November 9, 2005, plaintiffs' lawyers argued before U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson that they want to widen the scope of the suit.
"It should apply regardless of reason in jail," said an attorney that represents the plaintiffs on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union.
So far, attorneys have identified 21 plaintiffs who filed suit in 2003 alleging that jail personnel violated their rights by holding them naked in cells. That number could exceed 100, the attorney said.
Jail officials removed inmates from the general population, placed them in segregated areas and strip-searched them, we believe the law dictates these are privacy issues," the attorney said.
Attorneys hope Judge Lawson will grant certification because "there is a larger class of persons whose rights would be compromised if this court does not certify. A lot of people were subjected to a standard that was unconstitutional. We got a lot of people who think they were harmed."
Lawson already has ruled the county's conduct unconstitutional and that plaintiffs, whether individually or as a class, can seek liability damages. In his written opinion, Lawson said the jail's policy of naked detention qualified as "humiliating" and "demeaning."
Attorneys for the plaintiffs are attempting to enlarge the class to 70 or more by adding post-trial inmates
