The Associated Press
SAGINAW, Michigan- A federal judge has denied class-action status in a lawsuit over naked detention practices at a Michigan jail.
Twenty-two former detainees at the Saginaw County Jail have sued. Their lawyers, along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, had asked U.S. District Judge David Lawson for class-action certification.
In his 21-page opinion, the judge said the plaintiffs’ definition of a proposed affected class was too broad and the number of plaintiffs too small, The Saginaw News reported Tuesday.
The county has acknowledged it routinely held some detainees naked from 1996 through 2001 as a suicide-prevention measure. In January, Lawson ruled the practice unconstitutional but did not rule on the question of damages.
The ACLU had claimed the practice affected many more people than the 22 who have sued and continued well beyond 2001.
Lawson’s ruling Nov. 21 means individual damages must be determined for each of the 22. Still to be decided is whether there will be one trial or separate trials for each of the plaintiffs. Settlement and mediation also remain options, lawyers said.
The Michigan ACLU wants Lawson to order 16 changes at the jail, including ending the use of isolation cells, new training for jail guards and an outside monitor to oversee a “comprehensive” policy shift.