Filed Date: Dec. 10, 2024
Case Ongoing
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This is a class action lawsuit filed alleging poor and dangerous jail conditions in a jail in Fulton County, Georgia.
On December 10, 2024, two former incarcerated individuals in Fulton County Jail filed this lawsuit in the Northern District of Georgia. Plaintiffs alleged violations of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments due to the cruel and unusual conditions at the jail. Plaintiffs filed this class action lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. §1983, alleging that the Fulton County Sheriff's Office staff had been deliberately indifferent to the substantial risk of harm and serious injury to detainees. Plaintiffs sought declaratory and injunctive relief to establish safe jail conditions and policies, attorneys' fees, and compensatory and punitive damages for their injuries.
In their complaint, the former detainees alleged dangerous conditions and corrections staff practices that put them and their fellow detainees at risk. They alleged that the jail's crumbling infrastructure led to the pervasive presence of handmade "shanks" (makeshift knives) that inmates could use as weapons. Inmates were able to use these shanks to harm each other due to the jail's non-working and dysfunctional door locking mechanisms and staff's failure to use correctional practices such as classification and housing plans to assess likelihood of victimization. The former detainees also alleged filthy, unsanitary conditions, parasite and vermin infestations, and inadequate healthcare provision. Detention officers allegedly used excessive and unauthorized force against the detainees and the sheriff's office was inadequately staffed or supervised, leading to further risk of harm and injury.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a separate investigation into the conditions at the Fulton County Jail in July 2023, prior to this lawsuit being filed. Although separate from plaintiff's lawsuit, the DOJ's investigation covered the same allegations of dangerous and unsafe jail conditions. The department's findings were published on November 2024. The findings asserted that the jail engaged in a pattern of practice of violating detainees' constitutional and statutory rights. A consent decree was reached in January 2025 and a separate complaint filed by the DOJ. For details on the DOJ's investigation, please see United States v. Fulton County.
This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Herman Gonzalez (1/30/2025)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69459832/parties/hambrick-v-labat/
Grimberg, Steven Daniel (Georgia)
Harper, Michael Dexter (Georgia)
Leed, Patrick William (Georgia)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69459832/hambrick-v-labat/
Last updated Oct. 21, 2025, 1:34 a.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Dec. 10, 2024
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Two male former detainees at the Fulton County Jail
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Pending
Defendants
Fulton County Sheriff's Office (Fulton), County
Defendant Type(s):
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Due Process: Procedural Due Process
Other Dockets:
Northern District of Georgia 1:24-cv-05658
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Assault/abuse by residents/inmates/students
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: