In October 1974, prisoners at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Walpole, Massachusetts, filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the Massachusetts Department of Corrections in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The prisoners alleged that their constitutional rights had been violated by a lack of books in the law library at the prison. A consent decree was issued for the creation of a law library.

On December 14, 2006, plaintiff Andrew Kilburn in place of the deceased, Julian Stone brought a pro se suit for contempt of the 1974 order. On April 10, 2007, Judge Joseph L. Tauro held that there was no contempt of the order and dismissed.

Charles E. Kaine was then substituted as plaintiff and filed a complaint for enforcement of the 1974 consent decree on September 10, 2008. On January 31, 2014, the defendants made a motion to terminate the consent decree. In dispute was an update of materials to an electronic database. Judge Tauro found for the defendants and terminated the consent decree. He found the consent decree no longer equitable under 60(b)(5) due to the changing circumstances in the reference market and the availability of creating electronic databases.

Kristen Sagar - 03/31/2006
Brent Winslow - 11/07/2016


compress summary