On November 20th, 2012, a class of plaintiffs who had been jailed in Spokane County, Washington for unpaid financial obligations filed this lawsuit in the Eastern District of Washington. The plaintiffs sued Spokane County for violations of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 ...
read more >
On November 20th, 2012, a class of plaintiffs who had been jailed in Spokane County, Washington for unpaid financial obligations filed this lawsuit in the Eastern District of Washington. The plaintiffs sued Spokane County for violations of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The plaintiffs, represented by the Center for Justice and private counsel, asked the court for monetary damages.
The plaintiffs claimed that Spokane County violated their due process rights by jailing them for unpaid legal financial obligations (LFOs). They claim that the County's practice of using non-attorney employees in the County Clerk's office to make sentencing orders and provide legal advice violated the plaintiff's constitutional rights. Moreover, the plaintiffs claim their rights were violated by the County's practice of sentencing jail time for unpaid LFOs without a hearing.
The parties exchanged Discovery and agreed to pursue a settlement agreement.
On September 19th, 2014, the court (Judge Lonny R. Suko) certified the class and preliminarily approved of the proposed settlement agreement. The Defendant denied all allegations, but agreed to settle and pay damages of $349,967.68 to the class.
Michael Abrams - 11/21/2016
compress summary
