Filed Date: Nov. 19, 1976
Closed Date: Feb. 21, 1992
Clearinghouse coding complete
In 1976 (according to the docket number), inmates of the Montgomery County Jail in Alabama filed a series of lawsuits under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama against state and county officials for constitutional violations in conditions at the jail, including overcrowding. The suits were consolidated and the parties entered into a consent decree that mostly vindicated the plaintiffs' claims. The district court (Judge Robert E. Varner) found for plaintiffs and awarded them attorneys' fees that were taxed against state defendants alone because the court deemed the state's failure to provide adequate facilities the primary cause of the conditions complained of. (No decision is available). The defendants appealed.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (per curiam) reversed and remanded, finding that the inmates' complaints in the consent decree and pre-trial order referred to numerous violations independent of overcrowding, for which the state could not be held solely responsible. Bibb v. Montgomery County Jail, 622 F.2d 116 (5th. Cir. 1980). In February 1992, the district court (Judge Varner) ordered the case dismissed upon consideration of a Joint Motion to Dismiss, which noted that the overcrowding at the Montgomery County detention facility had decreased considerably, solving the problem. The Justice Department closed its file on the case shortly thereafter.
No further information is provided.
Summary Authors
Rebecca Bloch (3/25/2006)
Godbold, John Cooper (Louisiana)
Barnes, William Scears Jr. (Alabama)
Dempsey, Harry Young III (Alabama)
Gallion, Thomas T. III (Alabama)
Grant, James W. Jr. (Alabama)
Godbold, John Cooper (Louisiana)
Johnson, Samuel D. Jr. (Texas)
Tjoflat, Gerald Bard (Florida)
Varner, Robert Edward (Alabama)
Last updated March 29, 2024, 3:04 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Alabama
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Nov. 19, 1976
Closing Date: Feb. 21, 1992
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Inmates incarcerated in the Montgomery County (Alabama) jail alleging unconstitutional conditions of confinement
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Unknown
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: Unknown
Class Action Outcome: Unknown
Defendants
Montgomery County Jail (Montgomery), County
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Issues
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: