Update:
On August 11, 2020, the Federal District Court approved the Settlement in this case. On September 10, 2020, a former Class Member filed an appeal challenging the decision to approve the Settlement. The Court dismissed the appeal on February 12, 2021. The Settlement will not become effective until May 13, 2021 at the earliest and payments will be sent as soon as possible after that time. Once the Settlement becomes effective, it will take two to three months to process claims, calculate the amount due to each Class Member and begin payments. Additional updates will be posted as they become available.
Address updates can be emailed or mailed to the Settlement Administrator. You may email your request to info@LynwoodStripSearch.com or you may complete the form on the Contact Us page. Please include your old mailing address along with your request for verification purposes.
|
If you were strip searched at the Century Regional Detention Facility (“CRDF”) located in Lynwood, California between March 5, 2008 and January 31, 2015, you may be entitled to receive money.
What is this lawsuit about?
Amador v. Baca is a class action lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (“LASD” or “County”). It challenges the way LASD performed strip searches at the Century Regional Detention Facility (“CRDF”), located in Lynwood, CA. In 2017, the court found the LASD’s search practices were unconstitutional. The parties have now reached a settlement. The Court approved the settlement on July 20, 2020.
Who is included?
You are a class member (part of this case) if you were strip searched in a group, outside in the bus garage, while entering or returning to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's ("LASD") Lynwood Jail (“CRDF”). The case covers such searches for the period March 5, 2008 to January 31, 2015. Only LASD records will be used to decide who is a class member.
Class members could be entitled to several hundred dollars per search, and thousands of dollars for those searched many times. Anyone who qualifies and files will get at least $200.
Additional information about the lawsuit and important court documents may be found on the Important Documents and FAQs pages of this website.