Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Center $11M Class Action Settlement

Citizens taken into custody and/or detained by the Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Center on or after Oct. 14, 2015, may be eligible to claim compensation thanks to an $11 million class action settlement in the Middle District of Tennessee.

The Class includes two distinct groups dubbed the Arrest Class and the Detention Class.

Arrest Class Members were taken into custody by a Rutherford County sheriff’s deputy before being transported to the Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Center. The Arrest Class members must have been accused of a juvenile unruly or juvenile misdemeanor delinquent offense and were either born after July 26, 1998, or the custody occurred after July 26, 2016.

Detention Class Members got detained at the Rutherford County Detention Center before heading to the juvenile court for a detention hearing or on a juvenile delinquent or unruly charge. The Detention Class Members were either born after Oct. 14, 1997, or their detention period occurred between Oct. 14, 2015, and June 21, 2021.

Citizens who are members of both the Arrest and Detention classes can seek compensation for both. They will need to file both an Arrest Claim and a Detention Claim to seek out their entitled compensation.

Citizens can also make multiple claims if they were arrested or detained more than once.

In this class action lawsuit, plaintiffs questioned and challenged the actions, systematic policies, and the in-place practices of Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Center staff. According to the settlement agreement, plaintiffs argued that certain actions of staff violated the law.

This isn’t the first settlement for correction facilities in Rutherford County. Despite that, Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Center staff members deny acting outside of the scope of the law. They’ve denied all accusations of wrongdoing. 

The court did not make a determination about guilt. Instead, both parties agreed to a class action settlement amount of $11 million.

Arrest Class Members are eligible to receive about $1,000 per valid claim. Detention Class Members are eligible to receive about $4,800 per claim. 

These amounts are estimates, and the actual settlement amount Class Members receive could vary depending on the circumstances of the claim.

A final hearing will take place Dec. 3, 2021.

If Class Members want to exclude themselves from this class action lawsuit, then they must take action to opt out. To do so, they must file an Exclusion Request by Oct. 4, 2021.

The deadline to file a claim is Oct. 29, 2021.

Who’s Eligible

The Class includes two distinct groups dubbed the Arrest Class and the Detention Class.

Arrest Class Members were taken into custody by a Rutherford County sheriff’s deputy before being transported to the Rutherford County Juvenile Detention Center. The Arrest Class members must have been accused of a juvenile unruly or juvenile misdemeanor delinquent offense and were either born after July 26, 1998, or the custody occurred after July 26, 2016.

Detention Class Members got detained at the Rutherford County Detention Center before heading to the juvenile court for a detention hearing or on a juvenile delinquent or unruly charge. The Detention Class Members were either born after Oct. 14, 1997, or their detention period occurred between Oct. 14, 2015, and June 21, 2021.

Potential Award

Varies by Class

• Arrest Class: about $1,000
• Detention Class: about $4,800

Proof of Purchase

No proof of purchase required.

Claim Form

NOTE: If you do not qualify for this settlement do NOT file a claim.

Remember: you are submitting your claim under penalty of perjury. You are also harming other eligible Class Members by submitting a fraudulent claim. If you’re unsure if you qualify, please read the FAQ section of the Settlement Administrator’s website to ensure you meet all standards (Top Class Actions is not a Settlement Administrator). If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other open class action settlements you may be eligible for.

Claim Form Deadline

10/29/2021

Case Name

K.W., et al. v. Rutherford County, Case No. 3:17-cv-1014, in the United States District Court Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division

Final Hearing

12/03/2021

Settlement Website

RutherfordJuvenileSettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Geerts v. Rutherford County 
Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 10584
Tallahassee, FL 32302-2584

Class Counsel

Kyle Mothershead
THE LAW OFFICE OF KYLE MOTHERSHEAD

Frank Brazil
Mark J. Downton
BRAZIL CLARK PLLC

Defense Counsel

Jonathan P. Lakey
WALK COOK & LAKEY PLC

D. Randall Mantooth
HUDSON REED & CHRISTIANSEN PLLC