Cases
All of our briefs are linked on their respective case pages. If they are helpful to you as an attorney or pro se litigator, please feel welcome to use them.
Jane Doe v. Georgia Department of Correction et al
A transgender woman confined in men's prisons for decades, Ms. Doe has endured the GDC's unwarranted denial of gender-affirming surgery despite receiving recommendations for surgery from multiple GDC psychiatrists.
Durham v. G. Kelley, et al
After a diagnosis with lumbar stenosis Mr. Durham has been limited in his ability to ambulate and was prescribed a cane to allow him to walk without extreme pain. Despite this diagnosis and prescription, officials in the Trenton facility ordered Mr. Durham to abandon his cane in his cell when he was transferred to a quarantine unit. They then continued to deny him access to his cane for approximately ten days. They did this despite numerous different requests from Mr. Durham for his cane to nurses, doctors, and correctional officers, and despite his reports of excruciating pain when he was forced to walk without his cane.
Voices of the Experienced (VOTE) et al. v. James LeBlanc et al.
This lawsuit challenges the harsh and unconstitutional conditions of forced agricultural labor at Angola. It is brought Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) and four incarcerated men currently at Angola, who represent all those compelled to work on the so-called “Farm Line.” Angola, once a plantation site, now spans 18,000 acres and forces incarcerated people, primarily Black men, into agricultural labor under oppressive conditions. These individuals toil in extreme heat and humidity, often lacking basic safety gear. This labor serves no legitimate purpose, with men forced to perform grueling tasks like digging and refilling holes or manually picking blades of grass.
Edwards v. Hooks et al.
Tracey Edwards was shackled whilst pregnant, in labor, and post-partum during her incarceration by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Richardson v. Clarke et al.
Richardson v. Clarke is an appeal brought by Rights Behind Bars in the Fourth Circuit on behalf of a man in the Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) system who argues VDOC violated his right to freely exercise his religion and failed to provide him accommodations as a person with a disability.
Tillman v. City of Saint Louis et al.
Brought in partnership with ArchCity Defenders, MacArthur Justice, and Saint Louis University Law School Clinic, RBB has filed this ADA action on behalf of Anthony Tillman, a paraplegic man detained in St. Louis's City Justice Center.
Hamilton v. Westchester County
Rights Behind Bars is lead counsel representing a formerly pro se detainee who after a serious knee injury did not receive recreation, an accessible shower, a safe housing unit, or a railing to hold onto while being strip-searched.
Ingram v. Kubik
Rights Behind Bars is amicus counsel on behalf of disability rights groups supporting plaintiff who, in midst of a mental health crisis, was body-slammed by a police officer because the officer found him annoying.
Porretti v. Dzurenda
Rights Behind Bars, along with Makris Legal Services, LLC, represents Wayne Porretti, an incarcerated man who was taken off the antipsychotic medications he needs to function for non-medical reasons.
Crane v. Utah D.O.C.
Rights Behind Bars represents the grandmother of Brock Tucker on her claims under the 8th Amendment, Utah Constitution, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Brock entered the Utah Department of Corrections when he was seventeen years old.
Woodcock v. Correct Care Solutions, LLC
In collaboration with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison LLP and the Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School, Rights Behind Bars filed an amicus brief on behalf of a group of medical organizations and doctors who specialized in correctional or kidney health.
Munoz v. CDCR
Rights Behind Bars represents Rick Munoz in his appeal of the district court’s grant of summary judgment to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) on his claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Mann v. Ohio DRC
In collaboration with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton, and Garrison LLP and the Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School, Rights Behind Bars filed an amicus brief on behalf of a group of medical organizations and doctors who specialized in correctional or kidney health.
Taylor v. Riojas
Rights Behind Bars filed a petition for rehearing en banc to the Fifth Circuit on behalf of Trent Taylor. The court granted Texas state prison officials qualified immunity notwithstanding Mr. Taylor's claim that forcing him to live naked in prison cells covered in human sewage for nearly a week was an unconstitutional condition of confinement. The Supreme Court summarily reversed the Fifth Circuit decision granting qualified immunity to prison officials.
United States v. Westine
Rights Behind Bars represented John Westine Jr. in an appeal of a district court's denial of his motion for compassionate release.