A federal judge approved the class-action lawsuit filed by four Connecticut inmates seeking protections from COVID-19. Judge Janet Bond Arterton denied the state's motion requesting the case be dismissed.
The lawsuit was filed on the prisoners' behalf by the ACLU and the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. The lawsuit is looking to protect two classes of people in the Department of corrections: people who are in prison pre-trial, and those who nearing their release date.
“Time is a luxury that incarcerated people do not have during this pandemic, as the DOC’s response to COVID-19 has placed people in prisons and jails in grave, imminent danger. We are grateful that the federal court has swiftly rejected the State of Connecticut’s procedural shell game and will allow people who are incarcerated to have their day in court,” said Elana Bildner, staff attorney for the ACLU of Connecticut and an attorney on the case.
The ACLU of Connecticut is joined in representing the incarcerated people are Brandon Buskey from the national ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project, and Dechert LLP attorneys Will Sachse, Jonathan Tam, Jenna Newmark, and Gabrielle Piper from the firm’s Philadelphia, New York, and San Francisco offices.
In March, the DOC released 569 individuals. Governor Lamont says he wants to prioritize those considered to be high-risk for the virus. As on March 6, Connecticut's prison population is down by 1,609 inmates.
It was announced on Tuesday that six inmates have died due to COVID-19.
Read the motion to dismiss below:
Read the full lawsuit below:
