article: On March 14, 2017, a female prisoner who was forced to receive prenatal care, give birth, and undergo post-partum treatment while shackled, filed a putative class-action complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. The plaintiff sued the County of Milwaukee under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and state law. The plaintiff, represented by private counsel, sought compensatory damages and attorneys’ fees. The plaintiff alleged that in being shackled in accordance with the Milwaukee County Jail’s (MCJ) policy, her Fourteenth Amendment right to due process had been violated. The case was originally assigned to Magistrate Judge David E. Jones. Due to non-consent to jurisdiction on the part of the plaintiff, however, the case was reassigned to Judge Lynn Adelman. On April 11, 2017, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint that contained minor rewordings of the factual allegations without significantly altering the claims for relief. On October 17, 2017, the plaintiff filed a motion to certify class. The proposed class definition included “All persons who, while incarcerated by Milwaukee County Jail, were hospitalized for labor, delivery, or to receive post-partum treatment at any time from February 1, 2010-present.” This definition differed from the one originally proposed in the complaint in that it did not include “prenatal” care. Judge Adelman denied this motion on May 23, 2018. Litigation continued after the order denying class certification until April 8, 2019, when the parties informed the court that they had reached a private settlement agreement. The contents of this agreement was not made public. The plaintiff stipulated to dismissal on June 18, 2019. This case is now closed.
summary: This 2017 class action lawsuit was brought by a female inmate in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Wisconsin who was forced to undergo prenatal care, labor, and give birth while shackled. The parties reached a private settlement agreement on April 8, 2019 and the case was dismissed shortly after. This case is now closed.