In 1985, a prisoner of a Virginia state facility filed two class action lawsuits under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the Virginia Department of Corrections in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Both lawsuits settled and were approved by the Court, one on May 13, 1985 and the other on June 5, 1985 (Judge Robert R. Merhige, Jr.). In the first, the defendant agreed to pay the plaintiffs $3,000 without admitting any liability and in exchange for dismissal of the case with prejudice. In the second, the defendants, employees of the Virginia Department of Corrections, paid plaintiffs $80,000 and attorneys' fees and costs, and agreed to provide named plaintiff with appropriate medical treatment for his lung disease, and to revise system-wide guidelines with respect to use of tear gas and other chemical agents on inmates.

There is no further information available.

Rebecca Bloch - 04/05/2006


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