On November 14, 2016, five prisoners in the Santa Clara County Jail system with mobility disabilities filed this class action complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The plaintiffs sued the County of Santa Clara under the American with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and state law. The plaintiffs, represented by Disability Rights Advocates and Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld, sought declaratory relief that the County had violated their rights and injunctive relief prohibiting further violations. The plaintiffs claimed that the Santa Clara County Jail system did not provide adequate facilities for people with mobility disabilities. Specifically, the plaintiffs asserted that they were kept in restrictive medical units which prevented them from using jail facilities and common areas, were denied access to educational, religious, and rehabilitative programming due to their disabilities, were often denied access to devices intended to increase their mobility (including wheelchairs and canes), and did not have access to a functional grievance system to report any of these circumstances.
On April 13, 2017, the case was referred to mediation. From August 17, 2017 to May 31, 2018, Magistrate Judge Nathaniel M. Cousins presided over nine settlement conferences.
The parties' joint motion for class certification was approved by Judge Lucy H. Koh on February 6, 2018. The class of plaintiffs was defined as “[a]ll individuals with mobility disabilities who are now, or will be in the future, incarcerated in the Santa Clara County Jails, which consist of three facilities: (1) the Santa Clara County Main Jail Complex (“Main Jail”), consisting of Main Jail North and Main Jail South, in San Jose, California; (2) facilities for male inmates at the Elmwood Correctional Complex in Milpitas, California (“Elmwood”); and (3) the Elmwood Complex Women’s Facility in Milpitas, California.”
Following class certification, the parties jointly moved for a preliminary class settlement on November 13, 2018, which was approved by Judge Koh. The parties jointly moved for approval of a final settlement on January 14, 2019, and the court granted approval on March 21, 2019. The settlement consisted of a consent decree that required Santa Clara County to physically and administratively improve jail system so that the jails would be accessible to inmates with mobility disabilities. The consent decree required defendants to establish an electronic ADA grievance system, as well as a full-time ADA Coordinator to oversee all future issues related to inmates with mobility disabilities. Moreover, the decree provided for a fixed award of $3.2 million for plaintiff attorneys' fees.
The consent decree further directed Santa Clara County to incorporate accessibility features into a new jail, then slated for completion in 2023. The decree lasts until one year after the new jail goes into use.
In October 2020, amid public protests against police brutality, Santa Clara County tabled its plans for the new jail. County officials alternatively proposed creation of a mental health facility. However, a January 2021 report about inhumane prison conditions reportedly led county officials to resume plans for the new jail. See https://sanjosespotlight.com/santa-clara-county-wobbles-on-replacing-new-jail-with-mental-health-center.
As of November 2021, there has been no further activity on the docket. Because the new jail is presumably still under construction, this case is ongoing.
Brian Remlinger - 04/01/2019
Justin Hill - 10/02/2019
Achutha Raman - 11/07/2021
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