Women’s Huron Valley Scabies
Litigation (WHV - MDOC)
No Company is Too Big to Play Fair.
On March 8, 2019, we filed a class action complaint against Michigan Department of Corrections and Corizon Health, Inc., among other parties, in the Eastern District of Michigan.. We have brought this case on behalf of current and former inmates of Huron Valley Correctional Facility for Women (“WHV”). We filed an amended consolidated class action complaint on September 25, 2020.
The complaint alleges in part that female inmates at WHV were regularly denied access to adequate medical and mental health care, hygienic conditions and movement. As a result, the women incarcerated at WHV were exposed to Sarcoptes scabiei (“scabies”), caused by the spread of parasitic mites. The complaint further alleges that, despite years of complaints, the pleas of the women incarcerated at WHV were largely ignored and unanswered. Defendants failed to provide adequate access to medical care, a properly trained medical staff, screening programs, appropriate medications, appropriate quarantine and disinfecting procedures, and resources to properly examine, test, and treat the women’s obvious symptoms of infestation.
This is a civil rights class action, brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, challenging the inhumane, dangerous, and unconstitutional conditions endured by Plaintiffs and other similarly situated women at WHV. Plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves and members of the proposed Classes, bring claims for violations of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, and for gross negligence. They seek class certification, monetary damages, injunctive relief, and declaratory relief.
Nichols Kaster, PLLP is co-counsel with Marko Law, PLLC; Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni Rivers PC; Law Office of David S. Steingold, PLLC; and Excolo Law on this matter.
This case is entitled Pearson v. Michigan Department of Corrections et al, Court File No. 2:19-CV-10707 (E.D. Mich.)
Frequently Asked Questions
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Q:How Do I Join This Case?
A:
As part of our investigatory efforts, we are interested in speaking with others who are or were incarcerated at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility and believe they were treated unlawfully.
You may contact us toll free at 1-877-448-0492, write to us at Nichols Kaster, PLLP, 4700 IDS Center, 80 South Eighth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55402, or email Haley Thompson at hthompson@nka.com.
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Q:Am I Eligible?
A:
This case seeks to represent two classes:
- Current and Former Inmate Class: This case seeks to represent a class of all current and former detainees and inmates in WHV who, while incarcerated at WHV, had a skin rash consistent with a scabies infestation and who were denied treatment, or whose delayed treatment caused the condition to worsen, since November 2016.
- Injunctive Relief Class: This case seeks to represent an injunctive relief class on behalf of all WHV inmates since November of 2016.
If you have questions about whether you are included in these classes, contact us.
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Q:What is a Class Action?
A:
In a class action lawsuit, one or more people, called the “class representatives,” sue on behalf of themselves and other people who have similar claims. Together, this group of people is called a “class” or “class members.” The class representative and the class members together are called the “Plaintiffs.” The companies they sue are called the “Defendants.” The judge or jury resolves the claims for everyone in the class—except those who ask to be excluded from the lawsuit.
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Q:How Long Will This Case Take?
A:
Class actions can often take years. Please check this page periodically for updates on the case’s status.
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