Filed Date: April 2, 2015
Closed Date: 2015
Clearinghouse coding complete
On April 2, 2015, a pretrial detainee imprisoned in Velda City, Missouri because she could not afford to post bail filed this class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. The plaintiff sued Velda City under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The plaintiff, represented by Equal Justice Under Law and ArchCity Defenders, sought declaratory, injunctive, and compensatory relief. The plaintiff claimed that the City's fixed “bail schedule” was unconstitutional. Specifically, the plaintiff claimed that the City's policy and practice of detaining arrestees for at least three days unless they paid a generically set bond amount violated the equal protection and due process clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. This case was assigned to Judge Henry Edward Autrey.
That same day, the plaintiff sought a preliminary order enjoining the City from keeping her and those similarly situated in jail without offering release on unsecured bond or recognizance. The plaintiff also moved to certify a class of all arrestees unable to pay for their release pursuant to Velda City's fixed bail schedule who were or would become in the custody of the City.
Within two months, the parties entered into a settlement agreement. Under the agreement, the City agreed to end the use of the challenged cash bond system. Instead, the City agreed to release from its custody any arrestee on personal recognizance or on an unsecured bond as long as that person was not deemed a danger to the community. The City also agreed to release on unsecured bond any person arrested for failing to appear in court two times in a row. After the third nonappearance, the City was allowed to hold someone for up to 48 hours without bond. The City was also prohibited from holding an arrestee charged with ordinance violations in another municipality for more than four hours.
The parties asked the court to issue an injunction effectuating the terms of the agreement. The parties also asked the court to enter a declaratory judgment affirming that holding an arrestee in custody because that person is too poor to post a monetary bond violates the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The court signed the proposed order on June 3, 2015. 2015 WL 10013006. The court retained jurisdiction to enforce the injunction.
This case is now closed.
Summary Authors
Robert Lake (10/13/2015)
Hannah Greenhouse (3/15/2019)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18131650/parties/donya-pierce-v-velda-city-city-of/
Autrey, Henry Edward (Missouri)
Harvey, Thomas B. (Missouri)
Karakatsanis, Alec (District of Columbia)
Voss, Michael-John (Missouri)
Garrett, Steven W. (Missouri)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/18131650/donya-pierce-v-velda-city-city-of/
Last updated March 23, 2024, 3:03 a.m.
State / Territory: Missouri
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Fines/Fees/Bail Reform (Criminalization of Poverty)
Key Dates
Filing Date: April 2, 2015
Closing Date: 2015
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Pretrial detainee in Velda City, MO jail, individually and on behalf of a putative class of those similarly-situated
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Mooted before ruling
Defendants
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Content of Injunction:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: