Filed Date: May 14, 1976
Closed Date: Oct. 28, 1980
Clearinghouse coding complete
In 1976, plaintiff filed a class action suit under section 1983 against the Lubbock County commissioner's court, county commissioners, county judge, county sheriff, and the Texan Commission on Jail Standards. The district court for the Northern District of Texas (Chief Judge Halbert Woodward) consolidated several similar cases and certified plaintiffs' class. Before litigation began, the United States intervened. In 1977, the court held that defendants' actions violated inmates' constitutional rights and granted plaintiffs injunctive relief but denied plaintiffs monetary damages. The injunction addressed food services, security staffing, mail censorship, reading materials, telephone facilities, visitation rights, disciplinary procedures, classification, solitary confinement, and implementation of the injunctive relief. Vest v. Lubbock Co. Comm'r. Ct., 444 F. Supp 824 (N.D. Tex. 1977). According to the original docket, defendants continued to report to the court through 1978. In September of 1980, the court dismissed the case without prejudice due to a lack of activity, but just one month later, the court modified an order from 1977 regarding guard duty. We have the original (non-PACER) docket: it ends in October of 1980 and shows the case as closed.
Summary Authors
Lauren Cutson (5/26/2005)
Benson, Daniel H. (Texas)
Goss, E. Warren (Texas)
Boone, Jack (Texas)
Dibrell, Joe B. Jr. (Texas)
Faulks, Yvonne M. (Texas)
Woodward, Halbert Owen (Texas)
Last updated March 29, 2024, 3 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Texas
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: May 14, 1976
Closing Date: Oct. 28, 1980
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
inmates at the Lubbock County Jail
Public Interest Lawyer: Unknown
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
Lubbock County Jail Facility (Lubbock), County
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Due Process: Substantive Due Process
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Order Duration: 1976 - 1980
Issues
General:
Food service / nutrition / hydration
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Type of Facility: