Case: Thalacher v. County of Los Angeles
2:25-cv-10318 | U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
Filed Date: Oct. 27, 2025
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
Case Summary
This class action was filed on October 27, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by 38 named female plaintiffs who were or are incarcerated at the Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF). The plaintiffs sued the County of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, current and former sheriffs, and individual officers, alleging that the Sheriff's Department maintained a policy allowing male correctional officers to subject completely nude female inmates in administrative segregation to frequent, prolonged, and intentional observations while showering. The complaint alleged that these observations occurred without consent and for voyeuristic sexual gratification unrelated to any legitimate penological purpose, in violation of Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) requirements. Plaintiffs also alleged that male officers engaged in additional misconduct including non-consensual sexual abuse during transport to showers and intentionally setting water temperatures at scalding levels to cause erratic movement for sexual gratification. The lawsuit asserted federal civil rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for violations of the Fourteenth Amendment (bodily privacy and equal protection) and Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment), seeking damages, injunctive relief, and attorneys' fees. The case was assigned to Judge Stephen V. Wilson on November 17, 2025.
Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on January 8, 2026. The new complaint added 15 new plaintiffs, expanded the scope of plaintiffs to also include those in the general population and the high power module, not just women in administrative segregation, and added four new causes of action under California state law. On March 19, 2026, defendants filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint. The next day, two individual defendants filed a notice of joinder to join the previous dismissal motion and filed their own motion to dismiss based on the specific allegations the plaintiffs made against them. A few days later, on March 23, 2026, both parties filed a joint stipulation to remove one of the plaintiffs from the case.
Judge Wilson issued an order directing plaintiffs to file a second amended complaint by May 6, 2026, directing defendants to reply to that complaint by May 27, 2026, and denying defendant’s motion to dismiss and motion for joinder as moot.
As of April 2026 the case is still ongoing.
Summary Authors
Johnathan Johnson (4/26/2026)
People
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71776905/parties/dawn-thalacher-v-county-of-los-angeles/
Wilson, Stephen Victor (California)
Boyce, Leslie A (California)
Dunn, Brian T. (California)
Documents in the Clearinghouse
Docket
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71776905/dawn-thalacher-v-county-of-los-angeles/
Last updated July 28, 2026, 4:03 p.m.
Docket for: Dawn Thalacher v. County of Los Angeles
Case Details
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Oct. 27, 2025
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
53 female plaintiffs who were or are incarcerated at the Century Regional Detention Facility's (CRDF) general population, administrative segregation or high power modules and allege that they were or are subjected to constitutional deprivations and official misconduct of a sexual nature at the hands of male officers of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department employed the facility.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Pending
Defendants
County
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Defendant Type(s):
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Ex parte Young (federal or state officials)
Constitutional Clause(s):
Other Dockets:
Central District of California 2:25-cv-10318
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Discrimination Area:
Harassment / Hostile Work Environment
Discrimination Basis:
Affected Sex/Gender(s):
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions:
Assault/abuse by staff (facilities)
Sex w/ staff; sexual harassment by staff
Strip search policy (facilities)
Case Summary of Thalacher v. County of Los Angeles, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/47980/ (last updated 4/26/2026).