D.C. to Pay $6.2M to Settle D.C. Jail Class Action - wrongfully strip searching inmates/holding inmates past their release date

LegalTimes

The District of Columbia has agreed to pay $6.2 million to settle allegations the city had a practice of holding inmates at the D.C. Jail past their release date and of wrongfully strip searching inmates who were supposed to be released.

The settlement, if approved, would end nearly eight years of litigation. U.S. District Senior Judge Royce Lamberth found in 2011 the city violated inmates' constitutional rights, although not during the whole time period the plaintiffs alleged. Absent a settlement, the case would go to trial over how much the city owed in damages.

Lawyers for the city and the class today asked Lamberth to give preliminary approval to the settlement. Class members will have an opportunity to file objections before any final deal.

The lawsuit claimed the D.C. Department of Corrections had a practice of failing to release inmates when their prison time expired and of strip searching inmates who were supposed to be released but were instead returned to the jail for processing.

Under the proposed settlement, class members with valid claims against the city for over-detention or strip searches would receive a share of $2.9 million. The city agreed to pay $475,000 to improve inmate processing at the D.C. Jail and nearly $2.5 million in plaintiffs' legal fees and costs. The remaining settlement funds would be used to pay for class administration and separate payments for the lead plaintiffs.

If Lamberth approves the settlement, the city will have paid more than $18 million to resolve claims of over-detention and unconstitutional strip searches at the D.C. Jail. In 2006, Lamberth approved a $12 million settlement for alleged violations of inmates' rights between 2002 and 2005.