Special Collection: Fines/Fees/Bail Reform (Criminalization of Poverty)

Gavel on top of cash

Gavel on cash

This collection features lawsuits challenging the practice of jailing poor people who cannot afford to pay bail, fines, or fees. This wealth-based detention takes a variety of forms, and advocates argue that these practices effectively amount to jailing those too poor to pay for their freedom.

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JAIL CONDITIONS
Mangold v. Lincoln

04-cv-01991 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Filed Date: 2010

2012 WL 2374730On August 31, 2011, I certified a Plaintiff class of all persons who posted a cash bond to secure their release from the Lincoln County Jail, and, at the disposition of their criminal …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Sentinel Offender Services, LLC v. Glover

S14A1033 | Georgia state trial court

Filed Date: 2014

Closed Date: 2014

This case is the Georgia Supreme Court determination of five consolidated cases from Columbia County and eight cases from Richmond County, Georgia. All thirteen plaintiffs were individuals who had be…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
CODING IN PROCESS
Fleming v. Missouri Board of Probation and Parole

SC95764 | Missouri state supreme court

Filed Date: 2016

(This summary is temporary, while we research the case.)This is a case about the revocation of probation based solely on an individual's indigence. The plaintiff, an individual who had failed to pay …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
CODING IN PROCESS
Michigan v. Ghazi Salameh Marji

330193 | Michigan state trial court

Filed Date: 2015

(This summary is temporary, while we research the case.)This is a case about the amount of fact finding that a court must perform before revoking an individual's probation. In 2015, the individual pr…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
CODING IN PROCESS
Mueller v. State

49A02-0503-CR-172 | Indiana state trial court

Filed Date: 2005

(This summary is temporary, while we research the case.)After having trial diversion program offers rescinded because of their inability to pay, two individual criminal defendants filed a complaint a…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
CODING IN PROCESS
People v. Hakes

New York state trial court

Filed Date: 2016

(This summary is temporary, while we research the case.)This is a case about fees charged to participate in a probation program. The individual defendant pled guilty to driving while intoxicated and …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
CODING IN PROCESS
Thompson v. Florida

1D17–2751 | Florida state trial court

Filed Date: 2017

(This summary is temporary, while we research the case.)This is a case about an individual's ability to pay fines and fees in order to maintain probation status. Individual criminal defendant was ord…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
CODING IN PROCESS
Commonwealth v. Smetana

CP-38-CR-0001421-2014 | Pennsylvania state trial court

Filed Date: 2014

(This summary is temporary, while we research the case.)This is a case about whether a trial court abused its discretion by holding a criminal defendant in contempt for failure to pay his court fines…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
CODING IN PROCESS
Florida v. Cummings

Florida state trial court

Filed Date: 2019

(This summary is temporary, while we research the case.)An unhoused individual was arrested after being found sleeping outdoors and admitting he was homeless. He was charged with “Open Lodging,” a mu…

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POLICING
DOJ Investigation of the Lexington Police Department and the City of Lexington, Mississippi

No Court

This is a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) pattern and practice investigation of the City of Lexington, Mississippi and its police department. The investigation was announced on November 8, 2023. Lex…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Williams v. City of Albuquerque

D-202-CV-2022-07562 | New Mexico state trial court

Filed Date: Dec. 19, 2022

Case Ongoing

This is a case alleging that the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, violated the constitutional rights of its unhoused population by destroying homeless encampments and/or jailing and fining people who…

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POLICING
Coleman v. Brookside

2:22-cv-00423 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Filed Date: April 4, 2022

Case Ongoing

This is a class-action lawsuit challenging a small town’s practice of over-policing to generate revenue through fines and fees. On April 4, 2022, a group of individuals whom the Brookside police deta…

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POLICING
Thomas v. Town of Brookside, Alabama

2:22-cv-00157 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Filed Date: Feb. 6, 2022

Case Ongoing

This is a class action lawsuit challenging an Alabama town’s policing practice of unlawfully seizing and retaining property during arrests. On February 6, 2022, the named plaintiff filed a lawsuit in…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Evenson-Childs v. Ravalli County Sheriff's Office

9:21-cv-00089 | U.S. District Court for the District of Montana

Filed Date: Aug. 9, 2021

Case Ongoing

Plaintiff, a homeless resident of the state of Montana, filed this putative class action against Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana on August 9, 20…

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POLICING
Wattson v. Town of Brookside, Alabama

2:21-cv-00649 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Filed Date: May 7, 2021

Case Ongoing

This lawsuit challenges the Town of Brookside, Alabama's (the "Town") practice of seizing vehicles and other personal property. Plaintiff, a resident of Jefferson County, Alabama filed this putative …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Freeman v. Riverside County

RIC2001772 | California state trial court

Filed Date: June 1, 2020

Case Ongoing

This case is about whether the parents of children who interact with the juvenile justice system can be forced to pay the costs of those services in the absence of legal process. The plaintiffs in th…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Nashville Community Bail Fund v. Gentry

3:20-cv-00103 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

Filed Date: Feb. 5, 2020

Case Ongoing

This federal civil rights case successfully challenged a Davidson county Tennessee rule requiring garnishment of bail bonds, as applied to a non-profit bail bond service. Davidson County, TN, has a l…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
E.B. v. Landry

3:19-cv-00862 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana

Filed Date: Dec. 13, 2019

Case Ongoing

Plaintiffs, three persons seeking to expunge various criminal records in Louisiana, filed this putative class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana on Decembe…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
White v. Hesse

5:19-cv-01145 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma

Filed Date: Dec. 10, 2019

Case Ongoing

On December 10, 2019, a group of arrestees detained by Canadian County who have a financial condition of release that they cannot afford and was set without the presence of counsel and the NAACP of O…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Allison v. Allen

1:19-cv-01126 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina

Filed Date: Nov. 12, 2019

Case Ongoing

This is a class-action lawsuit challenging the detention of indigent individuals awaiting trial who are unable to post bail in exchange for their freedom. On November 12, 2019, three confined individ…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Moran v. Landrum-Johnson

2:19-cv-13553 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

Filed Date: Nov. 11, 2019

Closed Date: April 5, 2021

On November 11, 2019, a pretrial detainee filed this class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana alleging that twelve judges of the Orleans Parish Criminal D…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Reed v. Bernard

2:19-cv-03110 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Filed Date: July 17, 2019

Closed Date: May 4, 2021

This is a case about whether the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires public access to audio recordings of bail hearings before the Philadelphia Municipal Court.  In Philadelphia, defend…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Jones v. DeSantis

4:19-cv-00300 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida

Filed Date: June 15, 2019

Case Ongoing

In the fall of 2018, Florida voters amended the Florida Constitution, restoring voting rights to most people convicted of felonies “upon completion of all terms of sentence, including parole or proba…

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IMMIGRATION AND/OR THE BORDER
Abiala v. Barr

7:19-cv-00082 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia

Filed Date: June 6, 2019

Case Ongoing

On June 6, 2019, a noncitizen detained in Irwin County Detention Center filed this putative class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. The plaintiff alleged t…

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SPEECH AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Fernandez v. St. Louis County

4:19-cv-01638 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Filed Date: June 5, 2019

Closed Date: June 18, 2021

This case successfully challenged county-level statutes restricting roadside solicitation. A homeless man filed suit against St. Louis County in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Mi…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Davis v. City of Chicago

1:19-cv-03691 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Filed Date: April 29, 2019

Case Ongoing

This lawsuit is a constitutional challenge the city of Chicago’s vehicle impound program. The plaintiffs, individuals whose cars had been impounded by the city, filed this putative class action suit …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Ross v. Blount

2:19-cv-11076 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Filed Date: April 14, 2019

Case Ongoing

This case challenged the constitutionality of Wayne County, Michigan's cash bail system. On April 14, 2019, several pre-trial detainees in Wayne County Jail filed this class-action lawsuit in the Uni…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Feenstra v. Sigler

4:19-cv-00234 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma

Filed Date: March 21, 2019

Closed Date: Oct. 10, 2023

This case alleged that Oklahoma state courts unconstitutionally imposed fines at sentencing without considering an individual's ability to pay the fines assessed. The plaintiffs in this case further …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Dixon v. City of St. Louis

4:19-cv-00112 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Filed Date: Jan. 28, 2019

Case Ongoing

On January 28, 2019, several arrestees from St. Louis filed this class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. None of the four named plaintiffs could afford t…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Russell v. Harris County, TX

4:19-cv-00226 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Filed Date: Jan. 21, 2019

Case Ongoing

On January 21, 2019, indigent pretrial detainees in Harris County Jail filed this lawsuit in the Southern District of Texas. The plaintiff sued Harris County under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and 28 U.S.C. § 22…

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PUBLIC BENEFITS/GOVERNMENT SERVICES
Rodriguez v. Mach

5:18-cv-01265 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

Filed Date: Dec. 5, 2018

Closed Date: Sept. 3, 2019

The plaintiffs in this action are Texas residents whose driver’s licenses had been suspended. They brought suit against the Chairman of the Texas Department of Public Safety Commission in his officia…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Cook v. Taylor

2:18-cv-00977 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama

Filed Date: Nov. 19, 2018

Closed Date: May 1, 2019

On November 19, 2018, individuals whose driver’s licenses were suspended because of failure to pay traffic tickets filed this putative class action against the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency in the U…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Mendoza v. Garrett

3:18-cv-01634 | U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

Filed Date: Sept. 7, 2018

Case Ongoing

On September 7, 2018, five Oregon residents filed this class-action lawsuit against members of the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Oregon Transportation Commission, and the Oregon Department…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Briggs v. Montgomery

2:18-cv-02684 | U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona

Filed Date: Aug. 23, 2018

Case Ongoing

This case concerns alleged wealth-based discrimination in a deferred prosecution program for marijuana possession. On August 23, 2018, three Maricopa County, Arizona residents who were referred to Ma…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Edwards v. Leaders in Community Alternatives, Inc.

3:18-cv-04609 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Filed Date: July 31, 2018

Case Ongoing

On July 31, 2018, the plaintiffs, persons required to wear and pay for GPS ankle monitors, filed this class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Black Love Resists in the Rust v. City of Buffalo

1:18-cv-00719 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York

Filed Date: June 28, 2018

Case Ongoing

On June 28, 2018, Black Love Resists in the Rust and four individual plaintiffs filed this class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. The plaintiffs sued th…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Howard v. City and County of Denver

1:18-cv-02593 | U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

Filed Date: June 9, 2018

Closed Date: 2018

On June 9, 2018, the plaintiff in this case was arrested in Denver, Colorado; he was then unable to make his $10 bond, because the government imposed numerous additional fees. He brought this law sui…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Parga v. Tulsa County

4:18-cv-00298 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma

Filed Date: June 6, 2018

Case Ongoing

Individuals incarcerated in the Tulsa jail sued Tulsa County, the Tulsa County Sheriff, fifteen Special Judges and a district court judge in challenging the constitutionality of the county's wealth-b…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Johnson v. Jessup

1:18-cv-00467 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina

Filed Date: May 30, 2018

Case Ongoing

On May 30, 2018, two low-income citizens facing permanent license revocation filed this class action in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The case was assigned to Chi…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Brucker v. The City of Doraville

1:18-cv-02375 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Filed Date: May 23, 2018

Closed Date: Dec. 16, 2020

The city of Doraville relied on its municipal court as a source of revenue. The city received millions of dollars of its budget from court fines and forfeitures. As Doraville’s City Council heavily r…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
McNeil v. Community Probation Services

1:18-cv-00033 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

Filed Date: April 23, 2018

Case Ongoing

On April 23, 2018, five residents of Tennessee filed this putative class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. The plaintiffs sued the Tennessee Correctional…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Booth v. Galveston County

3:18-cv-00104 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Filed Date: April 8, 2018

Case Ongoing

On April 8, 2018, a prisoner in Galveston County Jail filed this class action in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The case was assigned to Judge George C. Hanks, Jr. Represente…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Daves v. Dallas County

3:18-cv-00154 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

Filed Date: Jan. 21, 2018

Closed Date: Jan. 8, 2024

On January 21, 2018, eight arrestees who could not afford to post bail filed this class action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The plaintiffs sued Dallas County, the Da…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Harold v. Richards

2:18-cv-00115 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Filed Date: Jan. 10, 2018

Closed Date: 2018

On January 10, 2018, two Philadelphia residents convicted for possession of small amounts of drugs filed this class lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The pl…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Brown v. City of Corinth

1:17-cv-00204 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi

Filed Date: Dec. 5, 2017

Closed Date: July 6, 2021

This was a case about excessive fines and fees. Plaintiffs were private citizens of Corinth, MS bringing a class action complaint against the City of Corinth and Municipal Court Judge John C. Ross. T…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Still v. El Paso County

1:17-cv-02656 | U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

Filed Date: Nov. 7, 2017

Closed Date: 2018

On November 7, 2017, a former pretrial detainee who was incarcerated for several weeks in the El Paso County Colorado Jail filed suit against that county in the U.S. District Court for the District o…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Wilkins v. Aberdeen Enterprises

4:17-cv-00606 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma

Filed Date: Nov. 2, 2017

Case Ongoing

On November 2, 2017, individuals facing arrest because of their inability to pay their court fines and costs filed this putative class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Distr…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Harper v. Professional Probation Services Inc.

2:17-cv-01791 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Filed Date: Oct. 23, 2017

Case Ongoing

This is a case about the constitutionality of a private probation company’s extension of probationers’ sentences pursuant to a contract with the Gardendale Municipal Court. On October 23, 2017, the S…

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JAIL CONDITIONS
Lloyd Jones v. The City of New York

1:17-cv-07577 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Filed Date: Oct. 4, 2017

Case Ongoing

Three New York City residents filed this putative class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on October 4, 2017. The plaintiffs–represented by priv…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Robinson v. Purkey

3:17-cv-01263 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

Filed Date: Sept. 13, 2017

Case Ongoing

On September 13, 2017, a middle-aged man with a disability, a single mother of five children, and middle-aged man who lived with his ailing father filed a putative class action complaint in the U.S. …

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PUBLIC BENEFITS/GOVERNMENT SERVICES
DiFrancesco v. Bullock

2:17-cv-00066 | U.S. District Court for the District of Montana

Filed Date: Aug. 31, 2017

Closed Date: June 17, 2019

On August 31, 2017, a resident of Bozeman, Montana, who was unable to pay his court debt that grew to nearly $4,000 out of a small $185 civil infraction, filed this class action lawsuit in the U.S. …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Ayo v. Dunn

3:17-cv-00526 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana

Filed Date: Aug. 7, 2017

Closed Date: Feb. 12, 2020

On August 7, 2017, two residents of East Baton Rouge Parish filed this class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. The plaintiffs sued East Baton Rouge Paris…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Justice Network v. Craighead County

3:17-cv-00169 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas

Filed Date: June 30, 2017

Closed Date: July 26, 2019

On June 30, 2017, the plaintiff, a private probation company operating in Craighead County, called the Justice Network, filed this lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Caliste v. Cantrell

2:17-cv-06197 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

Filed Date: June 27, 2017

Case Ongoing

On June 27, 2017, pre-trial detainees at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s office filed this putative class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana under 42 U.S.C. …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Little v. Frederick

6:17-cv-00724 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

Filed Date: June 5, 2017

Closed Date: July 19, 2023

On June 5, 2017, a Louisiana detainee filed this putative class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. He had been arrested and detained after being charged …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Brown v. Lexington County

3:17-cv-01426 | U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina

Filed Date: June 1, 2017

Case Ongoing

On June 1, 2017, nine indigent residents of South Carolina filed this class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. The plaintiffs sued Lexington County, South C…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Edwards v. Cofield

3:17-cv-00321 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama

Filed Date: May 18, 2017

Case Ongoing

On May 18, 2017, a 29-year old pregnant army veteran filed this class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. The plaintiff sued the Sheriff, Court Cler…

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PUBLIC BENEFITS/GOVERNMENT SERVICES
Fowler v. Johnson

4:17-cv-11441 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Filed Date: May 4, 2017

Case Ongoing

On May 4, 2017, two residents of Detroit, Michigan, filed this class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The plaintiffs sued the Secretary of State for the…

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SPEECH AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Uptown Tent City Organizers v. City of Chicago Department of Administrative Hearings

1:17-cv-04518 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Filed Date: March 30, 2017

Case Ongoing

On March 30, 2017, an organization called Tent City Alternative to LSD Viaducts and a community resident activist submitted a Notification of Public Assembly to the City of Chicago Department of Admi…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Schultz v. Alabama

5:17-cv-00270 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Filed Date: Feb. 21, 2017

Case Ongoing

This is a federal class-action lawsuit challenging Alabama’s bail system, specifically the fact that indigent defendants are routinely jailed pre-trial due to their inability to afford a predetermine…

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FAIR HOUSING/LENDING/INSURANCE
Watlington v. City of McCrory

2:17-cv-00002 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas

Filed Date: Jan. 5, 2017

Closed Date: 2017

On January 5, 2017, two residents of the City of McCrory that were living in a trailer worth approximately $1500, filed a putative class action complaint in the United States District Court for the E…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Thomas v. Haslam

3:17-cv-00005 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

Filed Date: Jan. 4, 2017

Case Ongoing

On January 4, 2017, indigent driver’s license holders filed this class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against the Tennessee Department of Safety and Ho…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Weatherspoon v. Oldham; Tennessee v. Weatherspoon

2:17-cv-02535 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee

Filed Date: Jan. 1, 2017

Closed Date: Dec. 13, 2018

In this case, a Memphis criminal defendant challenged the constitutionality of Tennessee’s cash bail system. In early of 2017, the defendant and, later, petitioner, was charged with attempted first d…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Lomas v. Harris County

4:16-cv-03745 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Filed Date: Dec. 28, 2016

Case Ongoing

This is a case about Harris County's practice of arresting people without warrants by finding probable cause based on unsworn statements. On December 28, 2016, two individuals arrested without warran…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Hernandez v. Houston

4:16-cv-03577 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Filed Date: Dec. 5, 2016

Case Ongoing

This is a case about Houston police arresting individuals without warrants and detaining them without probable cause. On December 5, 2016, two plaintiffs filed this lawsuit in the United States Distr…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
West v. City of Hitchcock

3:16-cv-00309 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Filed Date: Nov. 3, 2016

Closed Date: Dec. 19, 2019

This case was originally named West v. City of Santa Fe. It was recaptioned when one of the court severed one of the plaintiffs from the original case to pursue claims against the City of Santa Fe al…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Baker v. Florissant

4:16-cv-01693 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Filed Date: Oct. 31, 2016

Closed Date: May 13, 2024

In this case, a Missouri city settled for $2.9 million over allegations that it had jailed plaintiffs for being unable to pay fines. On October 31st, 2016, a group of plaintiffs who had allegedly bee…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Robinson v. Martin

16-13597 | Illinois state trial court

Filed Date: Oct. 14, 2016

Two men incarcerated in Cook County, Illinois, filed this class action lawsuit on October 14, 2016, in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The plaintiffs were eligible for release from jail but were de…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Dade v. City of Sherwood

4:16-cv-00602 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas

Filed Date: Aug. 23, 2016

Closed Date: Nov. 14, 2019

On August 23, 2016, five individuals incarcerated due to bounced checks filed this class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. They proceeded under 42 U.S.C.…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Thomas v. City of St. Ann

4:16-cv-01302 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Filed Date: Aug. 9, 2016

Case Ongoing

On August 9, 2016, a group of individuals who were placed in jail because of an inability to pay fines, penalties, and other charges, filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the E…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Commonwealth v. Wagle

SJ-2016-0334 | Massachusetts state supreme court

Filed Date: Aug. 5, 2016

On August 5th, 2016, attorneys from the Committee for Public Counsel Services in Massachusetts and from Equal Justice Under Law filed a petition in the Supreme Judicial Court for Suffolk County in Ma…

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PUBLIC BENEFITS/GOVERNMENT SERVICES
Stinnie v. Holcomb

3:16-cv-00044 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia

Filed Date: July 6, 2016

Closed Date: Feb. 25, 2025

On July 6, 2016, indigent Virginia residents brought this putative class action in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia after suffering indefinite suspension of their driver's…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Cook v. Bogalusa City Court

2:16-cv-11024 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

Filed Date: June 21, 2016

Closed Date: 2017

On June 21, 2016, individuals who had been subject to a $50 "extension fee" for inability to pay their monetary penalties in full, under threat that they would otherwise go to jail for non-payment of…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
O'Donnell v. Harris County

4:16-cv-01414 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Filed Date: May 19, 2016

Case Ongoing

On May 19, 2016, a 22-year-old detainee filed this class action suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against Harris County, Texas and the Harris C…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Canaan v. City of El Paso

3:16-cv-00132 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

Filed Date: May 3, 2016

Case Ongoing

On May 3, 2016, two indigent citizens who were jailed for not paying traffic and misdemeanor fines, filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. The plaintiffs sue…

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POLICING
Mitchell v. City of Los Angeles

2:16-cv-01750 | U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Filed Date: March 14, 2016

Closed Date: May 31, 2022

On March 14, 2016, several homeless individuals (one with a disability) and two organizations that help homeless individuals filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Luse v. Sentinel Offender Services

2:16-cv-00030 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Filed Date: Feb. 17, 2016

Closed Date: 2017

On February 17, 2016, two women on probation in White County, represented by the Southern Center for Human Rights, sued the private probation company Sentinel Offender Services (Sentinel) in a class …

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POLICING
United States v. City of Ferguson

4:16-cv-00180 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Filed Date: Feb. 10, 2016

Case Ongoing

On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, a majority-Black city in the St. Louis metro area. The sho…

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PUBLIC BENEFITS/GOVERNMENT SERVICES
Mata Alvarado v. Superior Court of Los Angeles

FCS050284 | California state trial court

Filed Date: Feb. 8, 2016

Case Ongoing

On February 8, 2016, two low-income female drivers - one Latina, the other African American - filed this lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court of California against the same court, under the (i) …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Welchen v. Sacramento

2:16-cv-00185 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

Filed Date: Jan. 29, 2016

Case Ongoing

This case arises out of an incident beginning on January 29, 2016, when a 50-year-old disabled homeless man from Sacramento was arrested and accused of second-degree burglary of an uninhabited dwelli…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
McKee v. City of Amarillo

2:16-cv-00009 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

Filed Date: Jan. 14, 2016

Closed Date: 2016

On January 14, 2016, two indigent women that previously served imprisonment terms at the Randall County Jail filed this complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texa…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Jones v. Clark County

5:15-cv-00350 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky

Filed Date: Nov. 30, 2015

Closed Date: 2017

On November 30, 2015, a resident of Clark County, Kentucky, who was arrested and admitted to jail filed this putative class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentu…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Whitner v. City of Pagedale

4:15-cv-01655 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Filed Date: Nov. 4, 2015

Case Ongoing

On November 4, 2015, residents of Pagedale who had received warnings that they may receive tickets, have been ticketed, or will be ticketed by the city filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court f…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Buffin v. City and County of San Francisco

4:15-cv-04959 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

Filed Date: Oct. 28, 2015

Case Ongoing

At the commencement of this lawsuit, the City and County of San Francisco did not release arrestees from jail unless they paid a generic “bond” amount. That amount was determined by a fixed bail sche…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Gonzales v. City of Austin

1:15-cv-00956 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

Filed Date: Oct. 27, 2015

Closed Date: 2016

The Plaintiff, a thirty-five-year-old single mother with seven children, filed this class-action complaint in the District Court for the Western District of Texas (Austin Division) on October 27, 201…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Martinez v. City of Dodge City

2:15-cv-09344 | U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas

Filed Date: Oct. 21, 2015

Closed Date: 2016

On October 21, 2015, an arrestee filed this class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. The plaintiff sued Dodge City and Ford County under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The plain…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Kennedy v. City of Biloxi

1:15-cv-00348 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

Filed Date: Oct. 21, 2015

Closed Date: March 7, 2019

On October 21, 2015, a group of persons incarcerated for unpaid fines and fees stemming from traffic violations and misdemeanors filed this class action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern Di…

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JAIL CONDITIONS
Bell v. City of Jackson

3:15-cv-00732 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

Filed Date: Oct. 9, 2015

Closed Date: 2016

On October 9, 2015, seven impoverished individuals incarcerated by the City of Jackson filed this class action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, federal anti-trafficking laws, and the declaratory judgment act …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Fuentes v. Benton County

15-2-02976-1 | Washington state trial court

Filed Date: Oct. 6, 2015

Case Ongoing

This lawsuit relates to a practice that some local governments in the U.S. have of imposing jail or forced labor when indigent individuals convicted of a crime are unable to pay their fines, fees, co…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Rodriguez v. Providence Community Corrections

3:15-cv-01048 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

Filed Date: Oct. 1, 2015

Closed Date: 2018

On October 1, 2015, a group of indigent Rutherford County, Tennessee residents who received sanctions for failing to pay probation fees, filed a class action suit against the county and Providence Co…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Kneisser v. McInerney

1:15-cv-07043 | U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

Filed Date: Sept. 23, 2015

(This summary is temporary, while we research the case.)This is a case about a college student who was jailed for failing to pay a littering fine. In 2014, the plaintiff was fined $239 for throwing a…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Foster v. City of Alexander City

3:15-cv-00647 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama

Filed Date: Sept. 8, 2015

Closed Date: 2017

On September 8, 2015, two Alexander City residents who had been jailed for their inability to pay traffic or misdemeanor fines and costs filed this class action lawsuit in the United States District …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Walker v. City of Calhoun

4:15-cv-00170 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Filed Date: Sept. 8, 2015

This is a case challenging the Georgia city of Calhoun's use of a bail schedule that did not account for ability to pay, leading to longer detention of poor criminal defendants. On September 8, 2015,…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Snow v. Lambert

3:15-cv-00567 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana

Filed Date: Aug. 25, 2015

Closed Date: Sept. 3, 2015

On August 25, 2015, a woman jailed for her failure to pay an automatically set bail filed this lawsuit in the United States District Court of the Middle District of Louisiana. The plaintiff sued Asce…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Carden v. Town of Harpersville

2:15-cv-01381 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Filed Date: Aug. 14, 2015

Closed Date: May 18, 2018

This case is a follow on case to Burdette v. Town of Harpersville, Alabama. That was a class action case in Alabama state court in which people were "supervised" by the private probation company Judi…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Carter v. City of Montgomery

2:15-cv-00555 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama

Filed Date: Aug. 3, 2015

Case Ongoing

The plaintiff, individually and on behalf of indigent individuals who have been sentenced by the Montgomery Municipal Court to probation with Judicial Correction Services, Inc. (“JCS”) for failure to…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
In re Donna Elaine Anderson

15-2380-AS | Michigan state trial court

Filed Date: July 9, 2015

Closed Date: 2018

On July 9, 2015, an individual sentenced to prison due to inability to pay a fine filed this lawsuit in Michigan Circuit Court for the County of Macomb. The plaintiff, represented by the Michigan ACL…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Cooper v. City of Dothan

1:15-cv-00425 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama

Filed Date: June 16, 2015

Closed Date: April 13, 2019

On June 16, 2015, an arrestee in Dothan, Alabama, filed this class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Represented by attorneys from Equal Justice Under Law,…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Thompson v. Moss Point, Mississippi

1:15-cv-00182 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

Filed Date: June 12, 2015

Closed Date: 2015

On June 12, 2015, this lawsuit was brought by an indigent person arrested by the City of Moss Point, Mississippi (the City), who was jailed for a prolonged period after she was unable to pay the fee …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Powell v. City of St. Ann

4:15-cv-00840 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Filed Date: May 27, 2015

Case Ongoing

On May 27, 2015, this lawsuit was brought in the United States for the Eastern District of Missouri by a person arrested by the City of St. Ann (the City), Missouri, who was jailed for a prolonged pe…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Edwards v. Red Hills Community Probation

1:15-cv-00067 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia

Filed Date: April 10, 2015

Case Ongoing

On April 10, 2015, five indigent probationers brought this class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and state law against Red Hills Co…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Pierce v. City of Velda City

4:15-cv-00570 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Filed Date: April 2, 2015

Closed Date: 2015

On April 2, 2015, a pretrial detainee imprisoned in Velda City, Missouri because she could not afford to post bail filed this class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Reynolds v. Judicial Correction Services

2:15-cv-00161 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama

Filed Date: March 12, 2015

On March 12, 2015, three residents of Clanton, Alabama, filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Represented by attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Eldridge v. City of St. John

15SL-CC00456 | Missouri state trial court

Filed Date: Feb. 9, 2015

Closed Date: 2018

On February 9, 2015, the plaintiffs filed this class action in the 21st Circuit Court of Missouri on behalf of all citizens of the City of St. John who were charged a warrant fee and/or failure to ap…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Fant v. City of Ferguson

4:15-cv-00253 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Filed Date: Feb. 8, 2015

Case Ongoing

On February 8, 2015, persons jailed for failing to pay fines imposed by the City of Ferguson that they could not afford filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Misso…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Jenkins v. City of Jennings

4:15-cv-00252 | U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Filed Date: Feb. 8, 2015

Closed Date: Feb. 13, 2017

On February 8th, 2015, a class of around 2,000 mostly black, impoverished residents of Jennings, Missouri filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. The plain…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Thompson v. DeKalb County

1:15-cv-00280 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Filed Date: Jan. 29, 2015

Closed Date: 2015

On January 29, 2015, a nineteen-year-old man from Decatur, Georgia, filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, against DeKalb County a…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Varden v. City of Clanton

2:15-cv-00034 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama

Filed Date: Jan. 15, 2015

Closed Date: Sept. 14, 2018

On January 15, 2015, an arrested individual who was unable to pay her bail filed this class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Represented by the non-profit…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Lampkin v. City of Jennings

14SL-CC04207 | Missouri state trial court

Filed Date: Dec. 8, 2014

Closed Date: 2016

On December 8, 2014, a Missouri resident filed this class action lawsuit against the City of Jennings in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, Missouri, under state law. The plaintiff, represented b…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
White v. City of Pine Lawn

14SL-CC04194 | Missouri state trial court

Filed Date: Dec. 8, 2014

Closed Date: 2015

On December 8, 2014, an individual assessed a warrant recall fee by the City of Pine Line, Missouri filed this class action on behalf of herself and all others similarly situation in the Circuit Cour…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Reed v. City of Ferguson

14SL-CC04195 | Missouri state trial court

Filed Date: Dec. 8, 2014

Closed Date: May 6, 2020

On December 8, 2014, a class of citizens of Missouri who had been assessed warrant fees by the City of Ferguson filed this lawsuit in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County in the State of Missouri. T…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Burks v. Scott County

3:14-cv-00745 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

Filed Date: Sept. 23, 2014

Closed Date: June 27, 2019

On September 23, 2014, two Scott County, Mississippi residents who had been arrested and detained filed this class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. …

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Jones v. Grady County

1:13-cv-00156 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia

Filed Date: Sept. 24, 2013

Closed Date: Oct. 14, 2015

On September 24, 2013, a resident of Georgia filed this class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and state law against Grady County an…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Cleveland v. City of Montgomery & Watts v. City of Montgomery

2:13-cv-00732 | U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama

Filed Date: Aug. 28, 2013

Closed Date: 2014

On August 28, 2013, an indigent detainee in the Montgomery Municipal Jail filed this lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Alabama. The plaintiff sued the City of Montgomery and the Hono…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Ray v. Judicial Corrections Services

2:12-cv-02819 | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama

Filed Date: Aug. 28, 2012

Closed Date: Sept. 29, 2020

On August 28, 2012, three Alabama residents filed a federal class lawsuit against the city of Childersburg, Alabama and the private, for-profit law enforcement company the city used to collect law-en…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Simms v. District of Columbia

1:12-cv-00701 | U.S. District Court for the District of District of Columbia

Filed Date: May 1, 2012

Closed Date: 2012

On May 1, 2012, a D.C. resident whose car was seized by Metropolitan Police Department officers filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The plaintiff sued the Dist…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Cole v. Warren County

2014-CA-000778 | Kentucky state appellate court

Filed Date: Dec. 12, 2011

Closed Date: Aug. 17, 2016

The plaintiffs originally filed this lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on December 12, 2011. The court dismissed the case on May 30, 2012, holding that …

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POLICING
Lavan v. City of Los Angeles

2:11-cv-02874 | U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Filed Date: April 5, 2011

Closed Date: July 25, 2016

On April 5, 2011, several homeless individuals filed this lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The plaintiffs sued the City of Los Angeles (“City”) under 42 U.S.C. §…

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INDIGENT DEFENSE
Miller v. Deal

2011-CV-198121 | Georgia state trial court

Filed Date: March 22, 2011

Closed Date: 2014

On March 22, 2011, five indigent parents incarcerated because of child support debt brought this case in Georgia Superior Court. The plaintiffs sued the State of Georgia for violations of the Georgi…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Bell v. City of Boise

1:09-cv-00540 | U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho

Filed Date: Oct. 22, 2009

Closed Date: March 2, 2021

On October 22, 2009, homeless individuals represented by Idaho Legal Services and the National Center on Homelessness and Poverty filed this complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of I…

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE (OTHER)
Thomas v. City of Gulfport, Mississippi

1:05-cv-00349 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

Filed Date: July 21, 2005

Closed Date: 2007

On July 21, 2005, fifteen named indigent plaintiffs, individually and on behalf of a putative class, filed this suit in in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi under 42 U.…

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