Cases & Deals

Court maintains oversight of disabled prisoners

Client(s) Woods, Ambrose

A team of Jones Day lawyers from the San Francisco office along with the Prison Law Office, successfully defended a class of developmentally disabled prisoners from the State of California's motion to terminate a remedial plan designed to ensure that the prisoners' rights under the U.S. Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act were observed. After a bench trial, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California concluded that "the evidence demonstrates that mentally retarded prisoners and those with autism spectrum disorder are verbally, physically, and sexually assaulted, exploited, and discriminated against in California prisons." On September 16, 2010, it denied the termination motion and ordered additional relief. Subsequently, the State agreed to pay counsel $2.3 million in attorneys' fees. The Court ordered payment of that amount pursuant to the parties' stipulation on January 3, 2011.

Clark v. California, No. CV 96-1486 CRB