A federal judge on Friday approved a $14-million settlement in a class-action lawsuit over the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s practice of holding people beyond their release dates because of requests from immigration authorities.
A federal judge on Friday approved a $14-million settlement in a class-action lawsuit over the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s pastbecause of requests from immigration authorities.
“It was very, very difficult to reach people, to locate people and get them to file claims,” said Lindsay Battles, an attorney representing the plaintiffs. “For this case in particular, we faced the additional challenge that many people had been transferred to ICE and then deported.”Qualified claimants will be paid a maximum of $1,000 for each day they were held beyond their release date. The payments range from $250 to $25,000 per person.
“The best possible way to protect county residents from unjust deportations and keep families together is to ensure that everyone has a lawyer to defend them,” Jennie Pasquarella, immigrant rights’ director for ACLU Foundation of Southern California, said in a statement.