Four individuals held at MCC petitioned for writs of habeas corpus on behalf of themselves and all other individuals held at MCC, arguing that MCC’s reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic constituted deliberate indifference violating the petitioners’ constitutional rights. The court rejected the petitioners’ request for a preliminary injunction, holding that while the conditions at the MCC posed a substantial risk to the health of the inmates, MCC didn’t deliberately disregard the dangers of the pandemic. From the beginning of the outbreak, MCC documentation shows that MCC was consistently aiming to reduce the spread of the virus and the warden (the defendant) also wrote a letter to the court addressing how the prison will redress its shortcomings. The court also denied the defendant's motion to dismiss the petitioners’ claims insofar as they seek release from the MCC. The court reasoned that (1) the PLRA does not cover habeas petitions, (2) 18 U.S.C. Section 3621 did not bar review since the court didn't need to review the BOP’s individual inmate decisions, and (3) the petitioners’ previous compassionate release claims did not preclude the petitioners from bringing a claim for release on constitutional grounds.
Fernandez-Rodriguez v. Licon-Vitale, 470 F. Supp. 3d 323 (S.D.N.Y. 2020)
DETAILS
Decision
Date
07/02/2020
Practice Area
Criminal (Federal Charges)
Relief Requested
Preliminary Injunction (PI), Release
Type of Court
Federal District Court
Location
New York
Type of Case
Class Action
Case Characteristics
Post-Conviction Detention [jail or prison], Pretrial Detention [jail]
Release Granted
No
Compassionate Release Case
No
Case Tracking Number
1:20-cv-03315-ER
MORE CASE INFORMATION
Court Name
S.D.N.Y.
Decision
Motion Denied
Place of Incarceration
Federal Detention Center [typically federal pretrial detention]
Name of Facility
Metropolitan Correctional Center
Legal Authority
Eighth Amendment - Deliberate Indifference, Substantive Due Process - Deliberate Indifference (both 14th and 5th Amendments)
Crowdsourced legal documents from around the country related to COVID-19 and incarceration, organized, collected, and summarized for public defenders, litigators, and other advocates. Created and managed by Bronx Defenders, Columbia Law School’s Center for Institutional and Social Change, UCLA Law COVID-19 Behind Bars Data Project, and Zealous. Mostly federal court opinions, but now expanding to states and legal filings, declarations, and exhibits.
This resource is designed to help lawyers, advocates, researchers, journalists, and others interested in challenging, remedying, or drawing attention to the grave risk that Covid-19 poses to individuals who are detained.