COVID-19 Summary: This is a class action brought on behalf of all prisoners of the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), seeking preliminary and permanent injunctive relief that would require MDOC to adhere to CDC COVID-19 guidelines. However, after the Sixth Circuit vacated a similar injunction in another case, the plaintiffs agreed to dismiss this case.
On April 29, 2020, prisoners of the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) brought this suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Represented by the Michigan State Law School Civil Rights Clinic and private counsel, the plaintiffs sued MDOC and the wardens of several MDOC facilities. Suing under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the plaintiffs alleged violations of their Eighth Amendment rights. Specifically, they claimed that MDOC's inadequate response to the COVID-19 pandemic constituted cruel and unusual punishment. The case was assigned to Judge Mark A. Goldsmith and Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen.
The next day, the plaintiffs filed a motion for a temporary restraining order requiring the defendants to take additional precautions against COVID-19, including: social distancing, personal protective equipment, soap and sanitizer, quarantine and isolation for those with symptoms, adequate health care, and testing. The plaintiffs also filed a motion to certify a class that would include "all inmates who currently are, or who in the future will be, incarcerated in the MDOC's custody, at its different prisons, and who are subjected to MDOC's policies and practices regarding COVID-19." This class represented over 37,000 individuals.
On May 4, the plaintiffs moved for a permanent injunction as well as a temporary restraining order, seeking the same relief as they did in the initial motion. The defendants filed a response on May 12.
After the Sixth Circuit's decision in
Wilson v. Williams, found
here in the Clearinghouse, the parties entered into an agreement. In
Williams, the Court of Appeals held that federal prison officials had taken reasonable steps to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 and, therefore, the Eighth Amendment rights of the prisoners in that case had not been violated. In light of this decision, the plaintiffs here agreed to withdraw their motion for a temporary restraining order and motion to certify the class, and the case was stayed pending any outcome of an appeal in
Wilson. The plaintiffs also agreed to dismiss the case if the
Wilson decision was not appealed, reversed, or modified.
The
Wilson decision stood. So, on October 20, 2020, the court entered a stipulated order dismissing this case, which is now closed.
Caitlin Kierum - 07/20/2020
Timothy Leake - 10/20/2020
compress summary
