On January 13, 2022, the federal judge in Tennessee presiding over McNeil et al. v. Community Probation Services, LLC et al. approved a final Settlement Agreement and Consent Decree, which provides significant injunctive and monetary relief to the Plaintiff class. Among other things, the agreement prohibits Giles County from funding its probation system through fees paid by people under its supervision and requires the County to pay $2 million in damages and attorneys’ fees, the majority of which will be used to compensate nearly 4,000 class members who were harmed by the County’s exploitive probation practices. The County will also waive approximately $6.5 million in outstanding misdemeanor court debts. HSPRD attorneys Kate Schwartz and Matthew Piers began representing the Plaintiffs in 2018, together with their co-counsel at Civil Rights Corps, Barrett Johnston Martin & Garrison and Relentless Advocacy, PLLC.
“The six named Plaintiffs who represented the classes in this case deserve tremendous credit for the outcome of this litigation. For over three years, they exposed themselves to publicity and potential retaliation, and revealed personal details about their lives and finances in pursuit of justice. We are so honored to have represented them.”
HSPRD Partner Kate Schwartz.
