BY JULIE K. BROWN Thousands of Florida prison inmates who have hepatitis C are not getting adequate medication and treatment — leaving them at risk for liver failure, liver cancer and death, according to a lawsuit filed against the Florida Department of Corrections. The case, brought on behalf of three state prison inmates who have […]
State, former healthcare provider agree to settle suit over prisoners’ untreated hernias
BY MARY ELLEN KLAS TALLAHASSEE. About 1,800 current and former Florida prison inmates who were denied medical care for hernias will be entitled to divide $1.7 million in damages from a class-action lawsuit under a conditional settlement agreed to by the Department of Corrections and its former prison health-care provider, Corizon, and filed in federal […]
FJI Receives DBR’s Most Effective Lawyer: Public Interest Award
Attorneys from the nonprofit Florida Justice Institute teamed with Kozyak Tropin Throckmorton lawyers for a high-profile class-action against the Florida Department of Corrections and its former medical contractor, Corizon LLC. They negotiated a $2.1 million settlement with the defendants, who were accused of denying prisoners hernia operations to save money. Institute executive director Randall Berg […]
Lawsuit settled over inmate health care
The Florida Department of Corrections and former prison health-care provider Corizon have agreed to pay about $2.1 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that the state agency and the company denied hernia operations to inmates to save money. Under the settlement, Corizon agreed to pay $1.7 million to current and former inmates. The Department […]
Federal Judge Rules Against North Florida “Prison Gerrymandering”
In a first-of-its kind decision, a federal judge in Tallahassee has ordered that local voting districts in nearby Jefferson County be redrawn, saying their boundaries are unconstitutional because of a system critics call “prison gerrymandering.” U.S. District Judge Mark Walker on Friday ruled against the county on a motion for summary judgment, effectively disposing of the case brought […]
BREAKING: Federal Court Rules Prison Gerrymandering Unconstitutional
The Federal District Court for Florida’s Northern District ruled Monday that the prison gerrymandering in Florida’s Jefferson County unconstitutionally dilutes the voting power of its residents. By packing inmates who can’t vote into a district, but counting them when drawing electoral maps, District Judge Mark Walker said the county had violated the “one person, one […]
Florida Prisons Accused of Mistreating Disabled
(CN) – The Florida Department of Corrections routinely denies disabled prisoners access to wheelchairs, canes, sign language interpreters and even hearing aids, a disability rights group claims in court. In a lawsuit filed in Tallahassee Federal Court on behalf of 32 inmates, Disability Rights Florida claims the routinely encountered access of other difficulties that the […]
Florida Prisons Sued Over Treatment Of Disabled Inmates
A group representing disabled inmates has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Florida prison officials of discriminating against prisoners who are deaf, blind or confined to wheelchairs, in violation of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Tallahassee by Disability Rights Florida, alleges that the Department of Corrections failed to provide interpreters […]
Disabled Florida prisoners sue Department of Corrections alleging repeated abuses
Prompted by complaints that the needs of deaf, blind, and wheelchair-bound inmates are being routinely ignored, lawyers for a group of prisoners filed suit against the Florida Department of Corrections on Tuesday, claiming a litany of abuses. The lawsuit, filed by the Florida Justice Institute on behalf of Disability Rights Florida, includes accounts from 32 […]
Should prisoners be counted for voting purposes?
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A federal court in the state Capitol is considering what could be a landmark case when it comes to who represents you in local government. The case boils down to whether it’s fair to count state prisoners when creating local districts. The county told the judge that if he rules against them, […]
Prison Magazine Appeals Ban to 11th Circuit
(CN) – Prison Legal News asked the 11th Circuit to revive its challenge to a ban on its magazine from Florida jails and prisons. Prison Legal News, a monthly publication of the Human Rights Defense Center, is written by and for prisoners. The muckraking 72-page magazine features articles about abuses inside prisons and jails, and […]
Torture, neglect, death: Human rights groups urge feds to tackle Florida prisons
A coalition of 14 human rights groups on Thursday called for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Florida state prisons, contending that “immediate intervention” is necessary to stop the widespread abuse, neglect, torture and deaths of inmates in the Florida Department of Corrections. Read the full article.
Lawsuit claims Florida inmates are denied surgeries
Three inmates are suing the Florida Department of Corrections and medical contractor Corizon, alleging Corizon refused to provide medically necessary surgical procedures in an effort to keep costs down. The class-action lawsuit, which cites several other cases of alleged inadequate care, accuses Corizon of violating prisoners’ Eighth Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment. Corizon […]
Miami-Dade County does a U-turn on ‘José Milton Way’
There will be no José Milton Way in Miami-Dade County — at least not for now. Miami-Dade commissioners backed away from the previously approved street naming on Wednesday, two days after the Milton family’s real estate businesses were again sued for racial discrimination. “Until the court renders an opinion over that, I feel that it […]
Weeks after Miami-Dade honor, Milton family is again sued for discrimination
Earlier this month, when Miami-Dade Commissioners named a street after real estate developer José Milton, they brushed aside the fact that Milton’s company had been previously accused in court of racial discrimination, saying the allegations had been settled decades ago. Milton had donated money to county parks and other charitable causes since the days of […]
The Florida Supreme Court has Just Dealt a Big Blow to Legal Aid
A divided Florida Supreme Court refused Thursday to authorize Florida Bar leaders to raise attorney dues to fund legal aid. In a last batch of decisions before its summer hiatus, the court ruled 4-3 to turn down the request from a coalition of 522 Florida Bar members. The lawyers asked the high court to allow […]
Taxpayer Tab In Drug Test Lawsuits Tops $1.5 Million
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) – Florida taxpayers are on the hook for more than $1.5 million in legal fees — including nearly $1 million to civil-rights lawyers — because of Gov. Rick Scott’s failed push to force welfare applicants and tens of thousands of state workers to submit to suspicionless drug tests. The state agreed earlier this […]
Justice Dept. Should Finish the Job
Op-Ed by FJI Executive Director Randy Berg: On Aug. 2, 2011, Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado wrote then-U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder requesting Department of Justice’s (DOJ) assistance after seven black men had been killed by Miami Police Department (MPD) officers over eight months in 2010-2011. Travis McNeil was one of those black men unjustifiably killed. […]