L.A. County Jail Strip Search Settlement Website is Active

A website has been established to inform Class Members of their rights under a proposed $53 million L.A. jail strip search class action settlement.

If approved this settlement will end claims that the Los Angeles County Jail violated female inmates’ constitutional rights by conducting humiliating and degrading strip searches at the County Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, Calif.

Female inmates claimed that they were subjected to strip searches and body cavity inspections in groups with no individual privacy, and were subjected to demeaning language during these searches.

Under the terms of the proposed settlement deal, L.A. County will pay $53 million into a settlement fund. From that fund, named plaintiffs will receive $10,000 each, for a total of $90,000.

Up to $3 million will be used to help L.A. County develop better practices. The $3 million will fund contracts between the County of Los Angeles and the Moss Group and the Center for Gender and Justice “for the purpose of helping Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department develop gender-responsive and trauma-informed practices, programming, and services.”

Attorneys for Class Members have requested up to one third of the settlement fund, plus reimbursement for their legal fees.

The remaining amount, estimated just under $31 million, will be distributed among Class Members, based on the number of strip or visual body cavity searches each Class Member was subjected to.

Allegedly, the most invasive searches occurred before July 2011, so Class Members who were subjected to a strip search before that time may be eligible for more compensation.

Inmates who were subjected to strip searches at a temperature of 70 degrees or less may also be eligible for more compensation.

Per the terms of the proposed L.A. County strip search class action lawsuit, no Class Member will receive less than $200.

Additionally, the L.A. county class action settlement also notes that the minimum payment will only be applied if there are an unexpectedly high number of claims made.

The proposed settlement deal has not yet been approved. The Lynwood strip search class action settlement website notes that no judgement has been made on the claims brought forward, and L.A. County does not accept liability. The L.A. County strip search class action settlement deal has been made to avoid the costs and risks of continuing litigation.

The Lynwood strip search class action settlement states that a preliminary approval hearing has been set for Aug. 12, 2019. It goes on to note that if the settlement deal does receive preliminary approval, notices will be sent to Class Members and the website will be updated with details on how Class Members can participate in the settlement deal.

Those that believe that they are a Class Member can submit their information to be contacted by Class counsel. No Claim Form is available yet.

Class Members can also call 1-855-233-1237 or email info@LynwoodStripSearch.com for more information.

The inmates are represented by Barrett S. Litt and Lindsay Battles of Kaye McClane Bednarski & Litt, Donald Cook Attorney at Law, Colleen Flynn of the Law Office of Colleen Flynn, and Cynthia Anderson-Barker of the Law Offices of Cynthia Anderson-Barker.

The Lynwood Strip Search Class Action Lawsuit is Mary Amador, et al. v. Sheriff Leroy D. Baca, et al., Case No. 2:10-cv-01649-SVW-JEM, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
UPDATE: December 2019, the Los Angeles women’s jail strip search class action settlement is now open.Click here to file a claim. 

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