COVID-19 Summary: On April 24, 2020, nine detainees at the Los Angeles County detention centers and a coalition of activists filed a class-action seeking adequate safety conditions at the Los Angeles County detention centers. The petitioners sought a writ of habeas corpus, declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as a temporary restraining order. The plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the case, without stating a reason; the case is presumed closed.
On April 24, 2020, nine detainees at the Los Angeles County detention centers and a coalition of activists filed this putative class-action addressing the conditions of confinement at the Los Angeles County (LACJ) in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The plaintiffs brought this lawsuit as a habeas petition under 28 U.S.C. § 2241, a declaratory action under § 2201, and as an injunctive action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Specifically, they alleged that the Los Angeles County jails lacked reasonable safety precautions necessary to mitigate heightened health risks posed by COVID-19 in violation of the detainees’ Fourteenth and Eight Amendment rights, including some limited releases. The plaintiffs further alleged that the respondents’ failure to accommodate was discriminatory, which violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Disabled Persons Act.
The plaintiffs sought declaratory and injunctive relief and a writ of habeas corpus mandating the immediate release of all individuals older than 55 and those with medical conditions. Additionally, the petitioners sought class-wide relief requiring compliance with the safety guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health. The plaintiffs also sought attorney fees and an expedited review of the petition. The plaintiffs were represented by the Civil Rights Corps, a UCLA Law clinic, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, and private attorneys. The case was assigned to Judge Dean D. Pregerson, then reassigned to Judge Dolly M Gee, who self-recused. On April 25, the case was reassigned to Judge R. Gary Klausner for further proceedings.
The plaintiff’s proposed class of those currently and to be held by the LACJ during the pandemic included the “Pretrial Equitable Relief Class” and “Post-Conviction Equitable Relief Class.” They were further subdivided into the “Pretrial Medically Vulnerable Subclass” and “Post-Conviction Medically Vulnerable Subclass,” both identified as medically vulnerable due to age or underlying health conditions.
Concurrently, the plaintiffs sought a TRO (temporary restraining order) and preliminary injunction requesting the release of the medically vulnerable subclass on non-monetary bail conditions.
On April 27, the defendants filed an opposition to the plaintiff’s motion for TRO, because the inmates had not exhausted other avenues available to them, which they claimed was required under the Prison Litigation Reform Act.
That same day, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the case, with no further details available from the docket. The case is presumed closed.
Averyn Lee - 05/25/2020
Lily Sawyer-Kaplan - 10/18/2020
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