Class action lawsuit filed on behalf of all Hawaii inmates in DPS facilities

HONOLULU (KHON2) – Erik A. Seitz, Attorney At Law, announced that plaintiffs filed an amended class action lawsuit on behalf of all Hawaiian inmates at Department of Public Safety (DPS) facilities on Tuesday, June 15 to have.

According to a press release, “the lawsuit is alleging worryingly inhuman conditions and an abysmal effort by the DPS to protect inmates from exposure to COVID-19.”

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The news of the lawsuit comes after a Covid-19 outbreak and Inmate riots at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center in Hilo.

Inmates and current DPS staff describe a third world environment with more than 50 inmates locked in a single room, overflowing with urine and feces, and lacking adequate access to necessities such as water or toilets. Others are housed in groups of seven in small chain-link “dog cages” with no precautions taken to prevent exposure to COVID-19.

Press release from Eric A. Seitz, Attorney At Law Corporation, June 15 Big Island officials are offering free testing to the community amid the growing COVID-19 cluster at the HCCC

The lawsuit seeks to appoint a special master to implement a response plan for COVID-19 and monitor compliance with the DPS in order to obtain an immediate injunction from the federal court.

DPS lawyers denied any wrongdoing and “expressed no interest in participating in talks with the plaintiffs”, during a court-ordered settlement conference on Tuesday, according to the press release of the legal association Erik A. Seitz.

A status conference call will be held with US District Judge Jill Otake on Wednesday, June 16 at 3 p.m.

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