Plaintiffs filed a class action on behalf of individuals who are in custody at Federal Medical Center Devens ("FMC Devens"), the "Medically Vulnerable Subclass" and the "Home Confinement Appropriate Subclass," seeking a Motion for Immediate Bail Consideration, Temporary Restraining Order, and Preliminary Injunctive Relief. The "Medically Vulnerable Subclass" include individuals who are of advanced age or have medical conditions that make them to be of high risk from COVID-19 while the "Home Confinement Appropriate Subclass" are individuals who are eligible for early transfer to home confinement. The plaintiffs argue that their detention is in violation of the Eight Amendment because of the threat of infection by COVID-19 and thus request for reducing the population at FMC Devens to ensure effective social distancing. The court denied all three motions, ruling that plaintiffs have not demonstrated that they have a likelihood of prevailing on the merits of their pleaded claims.
Grinis v. Spaulding, 459 F. Supp. 3d 289 (D. Mass. 2020).
DETAILS
Decision
Date
06/11/2020
Practice Area
Criminal (Federal Charges)
Relief Requested
Class Certification, Other, Preliminary Injunction (PI), Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), Motion for Immediate Bail Consideration
Type of Court
Federal District Court
Location
Massachusetts
Type of Case
Class Action
Case Characteristics
Elderly, Pre-Existing Health Conditions, Pretrial Detention [jail]
"Medically Vulnerable Subclass": a subclass of all persons who, according to applicable CDC guidelines are at high risk of injury or death from COVID-19, due to their advanced age or medical condition(s); "Home Confinement Appropriate Subclass": A subclass of all persons who are appropriate candidates for early transfer to home confinement.
COVID-19 Positive or Symptomatic
Yes
COVID-19 in Jail Prison or Detention Center
Yes
Litigation Database
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.