YPSILANTI (AP) - A federal judge has rejected class-action status in a lawsuit challenging conditions at Michigan's only prison for women.
U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Murphy III, Eastern District of Michigan, says the claims are too varied to be folded into one case. The Detroit Free Press reports that Murphy is allowing just a portion of the lawsuit to proceed.
Prisoners complained about being squeezed into makeshift space at the Huron Valley prison near Ypsilanti and long waiting lists for certain programs due to overcrowding. The judge says the claims would require "individualized fact-finding" that is unsuitable for a class-action lawsuit.
The Corrections Department says the current prison population of 2,100 women is below capacity.
Lynn Shecter, an attorney for the women, had no immediate comment on the weekend decision.
Published: Wed, Oct 03, 2018
