West Virginia has agreed to pay $4 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by inmates who cited inhumane conditions at a jail.
The disclosed figure awaits approval from a U.S. district judge, with the jury noting it is the maximum covered by the state's insurance. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of current and former inmates of the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, pointed to inadequate access to water and food, overcrowding, and fights allowed to escalate until resulting in injuries. The named defendants include the state corrections commissioner (resigned in August 2022), then-Homeland Security Secretary (retired in July), Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Executive Officer (fired recently), Assistant Corrections Commissioner (now appointed commissioner), and former Southern Regional Jail superintendent.
The $4 million settlement would be divided among over 9,000 inmates at the jail from September 2020. Defendants' attorneys did not contest the settlement in court. The Homeland Security Secretary mentioned the settlement as the "most favorable outcome for our state."
However, the settlement excludes other parties, such as two medical providers and seven county commissions housing inmates at the jail. Following a federal magistrate judge's recommendation for a default judgment due to the "intentional" destruction of records, the governor's administration and Homeland Security Chief Counsel changed last week.
Former and current corrections officials admitted during an October hearing that no measures had been taken to preserve evidence at the jail, including emails and documents.
