Two social justice organizations announced on Tuesday a class-action lawsuit alleging the Florida Department of Corrections forced inmates to surrender millions of dollars in downloaded books and music so they’ll have to repurchase them from its new vendor.
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee, says FDC sold digital media files to prisoners for years with the understanding they would be able to keep them forever. However, the lawsuit claims, FDC implemented a statewide policy rescinding their access to downloaded books and music and requiring inmates to buy them again from vendor Jpay, Inc.
The Florida Justice Institute and the Social Justice Law Collective announced the lawsuit on behalf of plaintiff William Demler, an inmate at the South Florida Reception Center who bought more than 300 digital songs and books from FDOC and its previous vendor.