Filed Date: May 20, 1980
Closed Date: Jan. 12, 1984
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Prisoners at the Cape May County Jail in New Jersey filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the county in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The plaintiffs alleged that the conditions at the jail violated the constitutionally mandated minimum standards in the areas of physical conditions of the jail, classification, health care, discipline, grievance procedures, food and diet, recreation, educational programs, visitation, clothing provided, and preferential treatment of inmates.
On January 20, 1983, the parties entered into a consent decree wherein the defendants agreed to change some of their policies in order to fully comply with the Manual of Standards for New Jersey Adult County Correctional Facilities. The plaintiffs asked the court to award them attorneys' fees, and on January 12, 1984, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (Judge Stanley S. Brotman) held that the consent decree was sufficiently favorable to the plaintiffs to allow them an award of 40% of their reasonable attorneys' fees. Poston v. Fox, 577 F.Supp. 915 (D.N.J. 1984).
Summary Authors
Kristen Sagar (6/7/2007)
Brotman, Stanley Seymour (New Jersey)
Beakley, Robert P. (New Jersey)
Addas, Frank P. (New Jersey)
Kimmelman, Irwin I. (New Jersey)
Maloney, Joseph T. (New Jersey)
Brotman, Stanley Seymour (New Jersey)
Last updated April 3, 2024, 3:05 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: New Jersey
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: May 20, 1980
Closing Date: Jan. 12, 1984
Case Ongoing: No reason to think so
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
County jail inmates challenging their conditions of confinement
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: Unknown
Class Action Sought: Unknown
Class Action Outcome: Unknown
Defendants
Cape May County Jail (Cape May), County
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Due Process: Substantive Due Process
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Order Duration: 1983 - None
Issues
General:
Food service / nutrition / hydration
Sanitation / living conditions
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Type of Facility: