Overview

• The class-action suit stems from a 2022 state audit documenting 185 deaths from 2006 to 2020 and alleges chronic understaffing, broken equipment and flawed inmate classification drove a high in-custody fatality rate.
• County attorneys asked Judge Battaglia to throw out most claims, arguing that recent improvements have addressed medical care, safety protocols and housing assignments, while preserving the mental health care allegation.
• Plaintiffs moved to disqualify six of the county’s expert witnesses, focusing scrutiny on Dr. Joseph Penn’s methodology after he reused material from a prior case deemed flawed by another federal judge.
• New sworn statements from inmates described the 2025 death of Corey Dean in isolation, highlighting alleged neglect of people in acute psychosis and underscoring calls for mental health reform.
• Judge Battaglia took the expert and dismissal motions under submission on July 24–25 and pledged a written ruling soon, setting the stage for a multi-month trial over systemic jail reforms.