Dona Ana County Jail Strip Search Lawsuit Settlement OK’d

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) – A judge has approved a $5.3 million settlement of a lawsuit by former prisoners who allege they were illegally strip-searched while being booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center.

U.S. District Judge William Johnson ruled the settlement was fair, reasonable and adequate.

The county settled the lawsuit last September, but did not admit wrongdoing. The lawsuit alleged the searches violated the prisoners’ constitutional rights.

Under the agreement, hundreds of former prisoners booked into the jail from March 7, 2003, to March 7, 2006, would be eligible for payments ranging from $750 to $2,400.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports the exact amount depends on how many of the 4,400 claims filed so far are verified as valid.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)