article: On January 12, 2005, a group of pre-arraignment detainees filed this class action civil rights lawsuit pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in the United States District Court for New Mexico, challenging the strip search policy in effect at the Santa Fe County Detention Facility. The policy at issue required that all persons to be housed in the Detention Center be strip searched for weapons and contraband, regardless of the offense charged and whether or not there was individualized reasonable suspicion that the search would lead to the discovery of contraband or weapons. Plaintiffs maintained that the policy violated the Fourth Amendment's ban on unreasonable searches and seizures. They sought monetary damages and injunctive relief. Management & Training Corporation (the company that was contracted to operated the Detention Center), the Santa Fe County Board of Commissioners and Santa Fe County Sheriffs were named as defendants. From January 2005 through November 2005, the parties engaged in extensive discovery, including document production, numerous depositions, inspection of the Detention Center and analysis of over 31,000 individual booking records. Settlement talks began in 2005 and included a six day mediation session before retired District Court Judge Raul A. Ramirez of California. Negotiations continued until a deal was reached in June 2006. On July 24, 2006, the District Court (District Judge Bruce D. Black) preliminarily approved the Stipulation of Settlement and certified the case as a class action. Following a fairness hearing, the District Court entered its final order approving the settlement and closing the case on December 8, 2006. Under the terms of the settlement, defendants agreed to pay $8.5 million into a settlement fund. Up to $5,529,750.00, plus interest earned on the settlement fund, would be allocated to pay verified claims. If the total amount of verified claims exceeded that amount, the amount payable to each member for each claim would be proportionately reduced. If the total amount of verified claims was less than that amount, the balance would be refunded to the defendants. $2 million was allocated for attorneys' fees and costs, and $470,250.00 was allocated equally among the class representatives. Up to $500,000 was to be paid for claims administration costs, with restrictions to come into play if administration expenses incurred were more or less than that amount. The case is now closed.
summary: In January 2005, a group of pre-arraignment detainees filed this class action civil rights lawsuit pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in the United States District Court for New Mexico, challenging the over-broad strip search policy in effect at the Santa Fe County Detention Facility. Plaintiffs maintained that the policy violated the Fourth Amendment's ban on unreasonable searches and seizures, and sought monetary damages and injunctive relief from the contractors operating the Detention Center, the Santa Fe County Board of Commissioners and Santa Fe County Sheriffs. Under the terms of a 2006 settlement, defendants agreed to pay $8.5 million into a settlement fund, with $5,529,750.00, allocated to pay verified claims.