Filed Date: Feb. 21, 2019
Closed Date: Dec. 10, 2020
Clearinghouse coding complete
On February 21, 2019, 5 deaf individuals, 4 of whom were at the time or had previously been incarcerated in the state of Minnesota, filed suit against the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) in the Ramsey County District Court of Minnesota, alleging that the DOC violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) in failing to provide full and equal access to services, programs, and activities provided to other incarcerated people who were not deaf or hard of hearing. These services included: telecommunications services, access to confidential calls with attorneys, educational and recreational programming, and daily PA announcements within DOC facilities. Represented by the Minnesota Disability Law Center and private counsel, they sought damages, declaratory relief, and attorneys’ fees, along with injunctive relief, which included providing video communication devices, qualified interpreters for educational and other programing, and evaluations to identify accessibility needs for deaf and hard of hearing persons who are incarcerated. The case was assigned to Judge Thomas A. Gilligan, Jr.
The parties engaged in court-ordered mediation on September 26, 2019. In order to allow the plaintiffs to fully participate in the mediation process, the court ordered that there be 3 ASL interpreters present, with one paid for by the plaintiffs, one by the defendants, and one by the court itself. The parties were unable to reach resolution at this stage, and the discovery and settlement negotiations continued into the following year, with a protective order for confidential information issued on February 28, 2020.
On October 1, 2020, the parties notified the court that they had reached a settlement, and accordingly, Judge Gilligan dismissed the case with prejudice on December 10, 2020. The Clearinghouse does not have access to the settlement agreement, but understands from other sources that the agreement included provision of videophones in housing units, interpreters for classes and programs, captioned materials on tablets, and oversight to ensure proper use of pagers to communicate.
Summary Authors
Kyle O'Hara (7/22/2024)
Last updated April 8, 2024, 3:08 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Minnesota
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Feb. 21, 2019
Closing Date: Dec. 10, 2020
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
5 deaf individuals residing in Minnesota, 4 of whom are or have been incarcerated in MDOC facilities.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
NDRN/Protection & Advocacy Organizations
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Minnesota Department of Corrections, State
Defendant Type(s):
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Access to lawyers or judicial system
Disability and Disability Rights:
TTY/Close Captioning/Videophone/etc.
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: