Federal Judge Grants Injunction in COVID-19 Coronavirus Class Action Lawsuit

CBSN Denver…federal judge rules against Sheriff

In widely-reported victory for the rights of people incarcerated in jails and prisons, in a COVID-19 coronavirus class action filed by David Maxted with the ACLU and other civil rights firms, a federal court granted an injunction against Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams due to his failed response to COVID-19. Sheriff Reams’ failure to take action led to an outbreak of COVID-19 infections in the facility including at least one death and multiple hospitalizations of people held in the Weld County jail.

David Maxted cross-examined Sheriff Reams for the plaintiffs, eliciting critical evidence to reveal Reams’ “deliberate indifference” to the dangers of COVID-19, which was substantially relied on by Chief Judge Brimmer in granting the injunction. The full order granting the injunction can be found here, along with an ACLU press release here.

The Denver Post quoted Chief Judge Brimmer’s order here in which he highlighted “prison walls do not form a barrier separating prison inmates from the protections of the Constitution.”

As reported by CBSN Denver, the injunction requires Sheriff Reams to identify those medically vulnerable to COVID-19 and put in place a plan to protect them, among other requirements.

The Greeley Tribune noted the Sheriff was found to have violated the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs in his failed response to dangers from COVID-19 here.

The case is Carranza v. Reams, 20-cv-977 and the complaint can be located on the ACLU website here.