Barrett, the only plaintiff remaining on the lawsuit, will receive $5,000 for time she spent on the case, according to court records. The county will also pay $133,853 in legal fees. More: Here are four lawsuits in Oneida County to watch in 2022 More: Female inmates claim discrimination at Oneida Co. "Now women at the jail are going to benefit greatly from their advocacy."Īll three women who originally filed the lawsuit - Sarah Barrett, Nicole Williamson and Shannon Terrell - are no longer at the jail. "It's really an important win for the women that were there initially," Joshua Cotter, an attorney with Legal Services of Central New York representing the plaintiffs, said. Under the terms of the settlement, women in general custody would continue being held there and have access to the same amenities as their male counterparts, including access to an outdoor recreation yard and the same work and education programs. Women returned to the newer, podular-style section of the jail in January after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction filed in the lawsuit. A final hearing on the settlement will be held at noon Friday, Oct. District Court for the Northern District of New York. Women said they were subjected to worse conditions than their male counterparts - who were held in more modern housing - including windowless cells and inferior access to showers, phones, recreation equipment and work programs.Ī joint motion for final approval of a settlement agreement for the lawsuit was filed Tuesday, according to records with the U.S.
The lawsuit, originally filed in May 2020 by three women incarcerated at the jail against Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol and Chief Deputy of Corrections Lisa Zurek, alleged women were discriminated against after being moved to an older, smaller section of the jail at the start of 2020.
Should it go through, women held at the jail will be able to stay in the same type of housing as their male counterparts. A settlement in a class action lawsuit over conditions at the Oneida County jail is in the end stages of being reached, attorneys say.
0 kommentar(er)
