Oregon Prisoners, Families Seek Cert in Class Action Lawsuit Over COVID-19 Infections, Deaths

Prisoners who contracted COVID-19 and the families of those who died of the virus asked a federal court judge to certify a class action lawsuit alleging the Oregon Department of Corrections failed to protect them during the pandemic.  

Lead plaintiffs filed the complaint after thousands of inmates contracted COVID-19 and hundreds died. In court documents submitted Monday, the plaintiffs reportedly say that the Oregon Department of Corrections failed to protect inmates from contracting the virus, withheld vaccinations, and failed to provide sufficient medical care to those suffering from coronavirus infections.  

The lead plaintiffs seek to represent three Classes: Inmates who contracted COVID-19, inmates who were not offered a vaccination, and the family members of inmates who died of the virus.  

The class action lawsuit alleged that staff at the Department of Corrections failed to implement measures that would have protected inmates from contracting COVID-19. The plaintiffs claimed that they were not required to wear masks or socially isolate when they exhibited symptoms of the virus while they were inmates at Oregon correctional facilities.  

In addition, they say that they were not provided adequate testing to help avoid outbreaks and, when sick, they were not provided with necessary medical care.  

The lawsuit claimed that the department “largely neglected critical measures to prevent outbreaks of the virus,” and “willfully and wantonly ignored the public health threat caused by this global pandemic.” 

The plaintiffs, including inmates and the family members of inmates who died of coronavirus, say that much of the prison population is susceptible to contracting and suffering severe health effects from coronavirus due to their age and condition. The class action lawsuit also pointed out that inmates live in close proximity, making it easier for the virus to spread.  

The class action lawsuit is seeking damages for inmates and family members of inmates who died of COVID-19 over the past year.  

“Enough time has elapsed where we now have to look at the wreckage and it’s not pretty,” said Juan Chavez of the Oregon Justice Resource Center and one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys at a recent news conference, reports The Oregonian. “The state had an opportunity to save people and they didn’t so now they have to pay and be held accountable.” 

The Oregon Department of Corrections has not yet commented on the class action lawsuit. According to the department’s website, more than 3,000 inmates contracted COVID-19, and 42 of them have died as a result.  

Have you or a loved one contracted COVID-19 while living in a correctional facility? We want to hear from you. Tell us about your experience in the comment section below.  

The lead plaintiffs are represented by Juan C. Chavez, Britney Plesser, Franz Bruggemeier, Alex Meggit, and Benjamin Haile of the Oregon Justice Resource Center and David F. Sugerman of Sugerman Law Office.  

The Prisoners COVID-19 Class Action Lawsuit is Maney v. Kate Brown, et al., Case No. 6:20-cv-00570-SB in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon Eugene Division.  

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

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• ADA Class Action Lawsuit Accuses Oregon of Charging Disabled Inmates for Needed Medical Devices