Filed Date: Jan. 5, 1995
Closed Date: 1999
Clearinghouse coding complete
On January 5, 1995, a group of indigent criminal defendants filed a class action lawsuit against the State of Connecticut and its Public Defender Services Commission under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, the state constitution, and a state statute (C.G.S. 51-289 et seq.), in the Superior Court of Connecticut, Judicial District of Hartford-New Britain, at Hartford. The plaintiffs alleged that the State did not provide minimally adequate legal representation to indigent defendants in criminal cases in the geographical area (G.A.) courts, the judicial district (J.D.) courts, and the juvenile courts due to high caseloads and a lack of sufficient resources. The plaintiffs, represented by attorneys for the ACLU and the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union, sought declaratory and injunctive relief.
On November 1, 1996, the Superior Court (Judge Douglas Lavine) granted four motions to intervene in the lawsuit by individuals who had been convicted of crimes and had filed habeas corpus petitions which were pending at the time. The inclusion of these plaintiffs expanded the proposed class to include indigent criminal defendants in habeas corpus proceedings. Judge Lavine also certified the case as a class action, defining the class as consisting of all indigent persons who are or will be represented by public defenders or special public defenders in the geographic area (G.A.) courts, the judicial district (J.D.) courts, juvenile courts and in criminal habeas proceedings.
We don't have much information about what happened next, but litigation continued until 1999 when the parties reached a private settlement of the case. We do not have copies of the settlement documents and the details are therefore unknown.
We have no further information on this case.
Summary Authors
Alison Curran (7/13/2007)
Lavine, Douglas (Connecticut)
Dahlberg, Robin L. (New York)
Parrent, Ann M. (Connecticut)
D'Auria, Gregory T. (Connecticut)
Querijero, Carolyn (Connecticut)
Lavine, Douglas (Connecticut)
Last updated Feb. 7, 2024, 3:09 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Connecticut
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Jan. 5, 1995
Closing Date: 1999
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Indigent defendants whose cases have been brought in the Geographical Area (G.A.) courts, the Judicial District (J.D.) courts, the juvenile courts, and on behalf of convicted prisoners who have filed habeas corpus claims.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
Public Defender Services Commission, State
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Constitutional Clause(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Issues
Reproductive rights:
General:
Jails, Prisons, Detention Centers, and Other Institutions: