Doña Ana County has agreed to pay $5 million to settle a lawsuit charging its jail with illegally strip-searching inmates.
The settlement comes as no surprise. Shortly before the lawsuit was filed last year, attorneys won a similar case against
The Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting today that the seven original plaintiffs will each get $25,000. The case will also be certified as a class-action lawsuit so hundreds of others can be eligible for payments of between $1,200 and $2,400.
The settlement is awaiting approval of a judge.
For years before the lawsuit was filed, the county had a policy of strip-searching most inmates when they were booked into the jail. Federal courts have ruled several times that such searches are only allowed on a case-by-case basis when there’s reason to suspect someone might be smuggling items into the facility.
The county has since modified its policy.