Current:Home > StocksSupreme Court denies California’s appeal for immunity for COVID-19 deaths at San Quentin prison -Streamline Finance
Supreme Court denies California’s appeal for immunity for COVID-19 deaths at San Quentin prison
View
Date:2025-04-16 18:03:29
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied an appeal from California corrections officials who sought immunity from lawsuits claiming they acted with deliberate indifference when they caused a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at one of the world’s most famous prisons four years ago.
The justices turned down the appeal without comment or dissent.
The lawsuit stemmed from the botched transfer of infected inmates in May 2020 from a Southern California prison to San Quentin, which at the time had no infections. The coronavirus then quickly sickened 75% of inmates at the prison north of San Francisco, leading to the deaths of 28 inmates and a correctional officer.
California now faces four lawsuits from the relatives of those who died as well as from inmates and staff who were infected but survived.
“The state has had its due process all the way to the Supreme Court. They’re not getting off on a technicality,” Michael J. Haddad, an attorney for the families, said in a statement following the high court’s decision. “Now it’s time to face the facts. Prison administrators killed 29 people in what the 9th Circuit called a ‘textbook case’ of deliberate indifference.”
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Monday that it does not comment on active legal proceedings.
Prison officials “ignored virtually every safety measure” in making the transfers, Marin County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Howard wrote in a 2021 tentative ruling in the case.
In 2021, California workplace safety regulators hit San Quentin with a $421,880 fine, one of the largest pandemic-related penalties against an employer.
State Sen. Mike McGuire, who represents the San Quentin area, called the deaths “completely avoidable” and said the transfer never should have happened. “I don’t say this lightly, but this is a failure of leadership,” McGuire said during a 2020 Senate oversight hearing.
Lawyers for the state have maintained prison officials took numerous steps to try to protect inmates from infection, including temporarily reducing the population of the state’s oldest prison by 40%, short of the 50% recommended in June 2020 by health experts.
Prison officials said the botched transfer itself was a flawed but well-intentioned effort to move 121 vulnerable inmates away from an outbreak at the California Institution for Men in Chino.
veryGood! (67321)
Related
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Kentucky sheriff charged in judge’s death allegedly ignored deputy’s abuse of woman in his chambers
- Is Isaac Wilson related to Zach Wilson? Utah true freshman QB starts vs Oklahoma State
- Teen Mom's Catelynn Lowell Slams Claims She Chose Husband Tyler Baltierra Over Daughter Carly
- Your Wedding Guests Will Thank You if You Get Married at These All-Inclusive Resorts
- Lizzo Unveils Before-and-After Look at Weight Loss Transformation
- Week 3 NFL fantasy tight end rankings: Top TE streamers, starts
- 8 California firefighters injured in freeway rollover after battling Airport Fire
- Blake Lively’s Inner Circle Shares Rare Insight on Her Life as a Mom to 4 Kids
- Takeaways from AP’s report on warning signs about suspect in apparent Trump assassination attempt
Ranking
- NCAA President Charlie Baker would be 'shocked' if women's tournament revenue units isn't passed
- Robinson will not appear at Trump’s North Carolina rally after report on alleged online comments
- Shohei Ohtani makes history with MLB's first 50-homer, 50-steal season
- 1,000-Lb. Sisters' Tammy Slaton Addresses 500-Pound Weight Loss in Motivational Message
- Kourtney Kardashian Cradles 9-Month-Old Son Rocky in New Photo
- Spotted: The Original Cast of Gossip Girl Then vs. Now
- Election 2024 Latest: Trump and Harris campaign for undecided voters with just 6 weeks left
- Mississippi mayor says a Confederate monument is staying in storage during a lawsuit
Recommendation
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield says Tom Brady created 'high-strung' environment
Police chase in NYC, Long Island ends with driver dead and 7 officers, civilian taken to hospitals
Actor Ross McCall Shares Update on Relationship With Pat Sajack’s Daughter Maggie Sajak
Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
Friends Creators Address Matthew Perry's Absence Ahead of Show's 30th Anniversary
Civil War Museum in Texas closing its doors in October; antique shop to sell artifacts
See Khloe Kardashian’s Delicious Chocolate Hair Transformation