In Alexander City, municipal court defendants must pay their court fines and fees from traffic debt in full by the end of the court day, usually 3:00 p.m. Persons unable to pay are forced to sit out their time in city jail, at the rate of $20 per day until someone pays their debt. Partial payment is not accepted. Individuals earn $20 more each day if they clean offices, wash police cars, or do laundry in the jail. They were jailed solely for their inability to pay.
Status
On January 17, 2017 a joint motion for approval of the class settlement was filed and an order of approval was issued on August 4, 2017. The settlement included:
- $30,000 to be divided between the two lead plaintiffs
- $448,000 to be divided among other class members
You can read the full text of relevant court documents via the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Causes of action: 42 USC § 1983 (alleging due process and equal protection violations)
Docket Number: 3:15-cv-00647 (E.D. Ala. 2015)
Date of Complaint: September 2015
Counsel for the Plaintiff: Southern Poverty Law Center