Judge preliminarily approves settlement requiring sweeping reforms at San Diego County Jail

SAN DIEGO (CN) — A federal judge on Thursday preliminarily approved a settlement between the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office and a class of inmates at the San Diego County Jail who claim they were subjected to unlawful living conditions while in custody.

The order from U.S. District Judge Anthony Battaglia is the latest in a class action going back to 2020 from inmates at the San Diego County jail who have challenged the poor conditions of the jail.

The terms of the settlement require a range of improvements the county has agreed to implement. Those improvements include expanded access to medical and dental care, improvements to treatment for those with chronic conditions, and improvements to treatment for people with substance abuse disorders who are experiencing withdrawal, among other things.

“Class counsel have demonstrated their ability to vigorously prosecute this action on behalf of the incarcerated people class through conducting significant law-and-motion practice,” Battaglia wrote on Thursday. “Class counsel extensively investigated plaintiffs’ claims and defendants’ defenses, and negotiated an exchange of information sufficient to enable them to fully evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the claims and defenses raised by both sides. Moreover, plaintiffs’ counsel defeated the county’s motion for summary judgment as to the medical and dental claims.”

Battaglia, a Barack Obama appointee, wrote the agreement appeared fair and reasonable after extensive negotiations. The judge ordered notice be distributed to inmates covered in the class action, which includes current and future inmates.

However, the settlement is not yet final.

The preliminary agreement includes several other provisions, including improvements to training for jail healthcare staff, improvements to continuous quality control and oversight of medical and dental care, and that people with insulin pumps can keep them or have them replaced when they break. The agreement also includes a provision requiring the county provide counseling to all incarcerated people who refuse any medication or appointments.

Critically, the settlement agreement also includes a provision that neutral, third-party experts are appointed to report twice yearly on the county’s implementation of agreed-upon terms in the settlement.

“It’s time for the county to change its MO and to make these changes and bring this jail into constitutional compliance,” said Gay Grunfeld, an attorney with Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld, LLP. “We’re going to stay in this county and we’re going to make sure the county and sheriff do what they say they’re going to do."

Grunfeld described the conditions at the San Diego County Jail as barbaric and a blatant violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“There’s 50,000 people in that jail every year,” Grunfeld said. “They deserve to have their constitutional rights supported and honored. This is just basic human dignity we’re trying to achieve. Today’s order is a positive step in a direction of implementation.”

Grunfeld said the incarcerated people in San Diego County Jail can expect implementation of these improvements sometime within the next nine months, and certainly after November, after a final hearing on the settlement is scheduled.

San Diego County Jail has an unusually large amount of in-custody deaths, according to a county oversight board. The county recorded a higher jail death rate than any other large county in the state between 2011 and 2024, according to the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board.

Attorneys for San Diego County did not respond to requests for comment.