Filed Date: May 12, 1987
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On 5/12/1987, Michael Chandler, an inmate in the Nevada State Prison, filed a Section 1983 lawsuit in the District of Nevada, pro se, against officials of the Nevada Department of Prisons. Plaintiff alleged that his federal constitutional rights had been violated by a digital anal cavity search performed on him without reasonable suspicion. At some point an attorney was appointed by the court.
The October 1989 trial resulted in a mistrial; a retrial was scheduled for January 1990. Following a three day trial, the jury found in favor of three of the four defendants; Jackson, Benzler and Butler. However, the jury found in favor of the plaintiff against Steve Koon, the associate warden at the Nevada State Prison. The jury awarded $1,000.00 in compensatory damages and $40,000.00 in exemplary damages. Defendant Koon appealed.
The Court of Appeals affirmed the awards of compensatory and punitive damages against appellant Koon, but vacated and remanded for the entry of a new award for attorney's fees and costs. Chandler v. Koon, 1993 WL 230278 (9th Cir. 1993). Following the District Court trial, a magistrate judge had limited the award for attorney's fees and costs to $6,552.00.
Litigation continued until July 1994 when the court ordered judgment in favor of the plaintiff and awarded attorney's fees and costs in the amount of $63,179.08.
Summary Authors
Eoghan Keenan (6/10/2005)
Fletcher, Betty Binns (Washington)
Nelson, Dorothy Wright (California)
Wilson, Stephen Victor (California)
Evans, Donald Y. (Nevada)
Hilsabeck, Charles (Nevada)
Last updated Dec. 20, 2024, 9:56 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Nevada
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: May 12, 1987
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Inmate at the Nevada State Prison alleged that his federal constitutional rights had been violated by a digital anal cavity search performed on him without reasonable suspicion
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: Yes
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Nevada Department of Corrections, State
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Unreasonable search and seizure
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Order Duration: 1994 - None
Issues
General/Misc.:
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: