PLO’s Efforts to Address COVID-19 in California Prisons

The Prison Law Office and our co-counsel at the law firm of Rosen, Bien, Galvan, & Grunfeld are actively working to enforce the rights of people in California state prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic.  We primarily are doing this through litigation in cases that address medical care (Plata v. Newsom), mental health care (Coleman v. Newsom), and disability accommodations (Armstrong v. Newsom).

Below are select court filings, including court orders, briefs, and declarations, related to our COVID-19 litigation.

  • For information provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation related to COVID-19, including numbers of incarcerated people and staff infected with the novel coronavirus, please click here.
  • For a fact sheet for incarcerated people about COVID-19, please click here. (Updated September 20, 2022)
  • For information regarding COVID-19 vaccines, please click here.

 

Case Filing Summary Date

Armstrong v. Newsom

Order Regarding Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

December 7, 2023

Armstrong v. Newsom

Court Expert’s Addendum to Second Report Regarding Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

November 28, 2023

Armstrong v. Newsom

Plaintiffs' Response to Court Expert's Second Report Regarding Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

September 21, 2023

Armstrong v. Newsom

Court Expert's Second Report re: Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

August 24, 2023

Armstrong v. Newsom

Order re: Court Expert's Report Regarding Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

February 24, 2023

Armstrong v. Newsom

Plaintiffs' Response to Court Expert's Report on Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

February 7, 2023

Armstrong v. Newsom

Court Expert Report on Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

The Court Expert released a report following a year-long investigation of the treatment of people with disabilities at the largest state prison, the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran (SATF). He found that people with disabilities are “living diminished and needlessly difficult lives” at SATF, and as a result “face harsher prison conditions, and thus greater punishment, than their peers.” People were denied accommodations needed to safely and independently perform a wide array of activities, including to eat, perform bodily functions, write, and participate in rehabilitative programs.

December 20, 2022

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

March 28, 2022

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

March 15, 2022

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

February 14, 2022

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

January 19, 2022

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

January 18, 2022

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

December 14, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

November 15, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

October 26, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Order re: Mandatory Vaccinations

September 27, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

September 15, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Plaintiffs' Reply to Responses to Order to Show Cause re: Vaccination Mandate

September 10, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Receiver's Reply to Responses to Order to Show Cause re: Vaccination Mandate

September 10, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Plaintiffs' Response to Order to Show Cause re: Vaccination Mandate

August 30, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Supplemental Declaration of Dr. Joseph Bick in Support of Vaccination Mandate

August 20, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Order Modifying Order to Show Cause re: Vaccination Mandate

August 20, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Order to Show Cause re: Mandatory Vaccination

August 9, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Report of J. Clark Kelso, Receiver, Recommending Vaccine Mandate

August 4, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

July 27, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

July 15, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

June 25, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Fifth Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

June 2, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

May 25, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

May 17, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

April 27, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

March 24, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

March 15, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

March 2, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

February 12, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Fourth Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Court Expert noted, among other things, that “[t]he fact that, to date, Armstrong class members have been almost five times more likely to die of COVID-19 than non-class members makes the work of protecting them all the more essential.”

February 1, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

January 26, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement (Corrected)

This version has been corrected to note that 45,041 (or 47% of) people incarcerated in California state prisons have tested positive for COVID-19, and 174 people, including at least 83 people with disabilities, have died while in CDCR custody.

January 16, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

January 13, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

December 22, 2020

Three Judge Panel

Defendants' Status Report

December 15, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

December 9, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Brief on Quarantine

December 9, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Third Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

November 25, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Order Regarding Staff Compliance with Face Covering and Physical Distancing Requirements

November 20, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Amended Joint Case Management Conference Statement

November 18, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

November 16, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Correction to Second Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Court Expert corrected information in his Second Report.  The Court Expert found that as of September 1, 2020:

  • At least 108 people at 21 institutions were housed in areas not designated for their disabilities.
  • At least one class member was housed in administrative segregation solely because of a disability.
  • 42 people with disabilities were housed in temporary or non-traditional areas, including gyms, tents, dayroom cots, and a Prison Industry Authority work area.

November 6, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

November 4, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Second Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Court Expert’s status update to the Court.  Please note that this Report contains inaccurate factual information, which the Court Expert later corrected in a separate filing on November 6, 2020 (see above).

October 23, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

October 20, 2020

Three Judge Panel

Defendants' Status Report

October 15, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

October 6, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Order Regarding Housing of People with Disabilities During Pandemic

Order requiring CDCR to designate additional isolation and quarantine housing for people with disabilities, and directing evaluation by the Court Expert.

September 9, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Plaintiffs' Response and Objections to Court Expert's Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During COVID-19 Pandemic

For declarations from people with disabilities in unsafe and/or inaccessible housing at Mule Creek State Prison, Deuel Vocational Institution, and the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility, please see the declaration of Patrick Booth.

September 2, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

August 31, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

August 20, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Defendants' Declaration and Status Report of Assistant Deputy Director Adam Fouch

Defendants’ attestation of compliance with court order regarding accommodation of people with disabilities during the pandemic, attaching relevant CDCR directives and memoranda.

August 19, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Court Expert's Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the Covid-19 Pandemic and Exhibits A and B

Court Expert’s report finding “extreme” and “dramatic” deficiencies in accessible quarantine and isolation housing for people with disabilities in California prisons and recommending further judicial action.  For the prison-by-prison analysis, please see Exhibit B.

August 19, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

August 17, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

August 11, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

July 27, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Motion to Modify CDCR Plan for Staff Testing for COVID-19

July 24, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Order to Set Aside Isolation and Quarantine Space

July 22, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Order Regarding Housing of People with Disabilities During Pandemic

Order requiring the safe, accessible housing of people with disabilities during the pandemic, including for purposes of quarantine and isolation, and directing the Court Expert to review the sufficiency of such housing.

July 20, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

July 15, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Motion to Protect Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Motion challenging CDCR’s failure to safely house and provide accommodations to people with disabilities. We submitted evidence that, for months, Defendants have placed people with disabilities at the California Institution for Men in inaccessible settings. In addition, people with disabilities, including those with significant underlying medical conditions and who are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, were housed in the same crowded dormitory as people with confirmed, active cases of COVID-19, sharing the same toilets, sinks, showers, dayroom, and sleeping areas, because Defendants had no other accessible housing for them. Unsurprisingly, they quickly became infected.

For more information on the California Institution for Men, see the declarations of Rita Lomio, Patrick Booth, Gay Grunfeld, and Dr. Tara Vijayan. For more information on the California Health Care Facility, Stockton, see declaration of Corene Kendrick.

July 14, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

July 1, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

June 19, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

June 18, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Order Regarding Staff Testing for COVID-19

June 11, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

June 8, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

May 27, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

May 20, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

May 14, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

April 27, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

April 20, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Order Denying Plaintiffs’ Motion

April 17, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

April 15, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Plaintiffs’ Reply in Support of Emergency Motion

April 14, 2020

Coleman v. Newsom

Order

April 10, 2020

Coleman v. Newsom

Plaintiffs’ Response to April 6 Order

April 8, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Plaintiffs’ Emergency Motion Regarding Prevention and Management of COVID-19

April 8, 2020

Coleman v. Newsom

Order

April 6, 2020

Three Judge Panel

Order Denying Emergency Motion

Order denying population reduction motion on the basis that Plaintiffs had not first asked the district courts in Plata and Coleman to take action to protect people in prison during the pandemic.

April 4, 2020

Three Judge Panel

Plaintiffs’ Reply Brief

April 1, 2020

Three Judge Panel

Request for Judicial Notice of other courts’ orders and directives releasing incarcerated people

March 26, 2020

Three Judge Panel

Emergency Motion

Motion before the three-judge panel in Plata and Coleman, seeking an order to immediately reduce the prison population because of the unacceptable risk of harm from COVID-19.

March 25, 2020

Case Filing Summary Date

Three Judge Panel

Emergency Motion

Motion before the three-judge panel in Plata and Coleman, seeking an order to immediately reduce the prison population because of the unacceptable risk of harm from COVID-19.

March 25, 2020

Three Judge Panel

Request for Judicial Notice of other courts’ orders and directives releasing incarcerated people

March 26, 2020

Three Judge Panel

Plaintiffs’ Reply Brief

April 1, 2020

Three Judge Panel

Order Denying Emergency Motion

Order denying population reduction motion on the basis that Plaintiffs had not first asked the district courts in Plata and Coleman to take action to protect people in prison during the pandemic.

April 4, 2020

Coleman v. Newsom

Order

April 6, 2020

Coleman v. Newsom

Plaintiffs’ Response to April 6 Order

April 8, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Plaintiffs’ Emergency Motion Regarding Prevention and Management of COVID-19

April 8, 2020

Coleman v. Newsom

Order

April 10, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Plaintiffs’ Reply in Support of Emergency Motion

April 14, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

April 15, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Order Denying Plaintiffs’ Motion

April 17, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

April 20, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

April 27, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

May 14, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

May 20, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

May 27, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

June 8, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Order Regarding Staff Testing for COVID-19

June 11, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

June 18, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

June 19, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

July 1, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Motion to Protect Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Motion challenging CDCR’s failure to safely house and provide accommodations to people with disabilities. We submitted evidence that, for months, Defendants have placed people with disabilities at the California Institution for Men in inaccessible settings. In addition, people with disabilities, including those with significant underlying medical conditions and who are in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, were housed in the same crowded dormitory as people with confirmed, active cases of COVID-19, sharing the same toilets, sinks, showers, dayroom, and sleeping areas, because Defendants had no other accessible housing for them. Unsurprisingly, they quickly became infected.

For more information on the California Institution for Men, see the declarations of Rita Lomio, Patrick Booth, Gay Grunfeld, and Dr. Tara Vijayan. For more information on the California Health Care Facility, Stockton, see declaration of Corene Kendrick.

July 14, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

July 15, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Order Regarding Housing of People with Disabilities During Pandemic

Order requiring the safe, accessible housing of people with disabilities during the pandemic, including for purposes of quarantine and isolation, and directing the Court Expert to review the sufficiency of such housing.

July 20, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Order to Set Aside Isolation and Quarantine Space

July 22, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Motion to Modify CDCR Plan for Staff Testing for COVID-19

July 24, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

July 27, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

August 11, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

August 17, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Defendants' Declaration and Status Report of Assistant Deputy Director Adam Fouch

Defendants’ attestation of compliance with court order regarding accommodation of people with disabilities during the pandemic, attaching relevant CDCR directives and memoranda.

August 19, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Court Expert's Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the Covid-19 Pandemic and Exhibits A and B

Court Expert’s report finding “extreme” and “dramatic” deficiencies in accessible quarantine and isolation housing for people with disabilities in California prisons and recommending further judicial action.  For the prison-by-prison analysis, please see Exhibit B.

August 19, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

August 20, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

August 31, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Plaintiffs' Response and Objections to Court Expert's Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During COVID-19 Pandemic

For declarations from people with disabilities in unsafe and/or inaccessible housing at Mule Creek State Prison, Deuel Vocational Institution, and the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility, please see the declaration of Patrick Booth.

September 2, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Order Regarding Housing of People with Disabilities During Pandemic

Order requiring CDCR to designate additional isolation and quarantine housing for people with disabilities, and directing evaluation by the Court Expert.

September 9, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

October 6, 2020

Three Judge Panel

Defendants' Status Report

October 15, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

October 20, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Second Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Court Expert’s status update to the Court.  Please note that this Report contains inaccurate factual information, which the Court Expert later corrected in a separate filing on November 6, 2020 (see above).

October 23, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

November 4, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Correction to Second Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Court Expert corrected information in his Second Report.  The Court Expert found that as of September 1, 2020:

  • At least 108 people at 21 institutions were housed in areas not designated for their disabilities.
  • At least one class member was housed in administrative segregation solely because of a disability.
  • 42 people with disabilities were housed in temporary or non-traditional areas, including gyms, tents, dayroom cots, and a Prison Industry Authority work area.

November 6, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

November 16, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Amended Joint Case Management Conference Statement

November 18, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Order Regarding Staff Compliance with Face Covering and Physical Distancing Requirements

November 20, 2020

Armstrong v. Newsom

Third Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

November 25, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

December 9, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Brief on Quarantine

December 9, 2020

Three Judge Panel

Defendants' Status Report

December 15, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

December 22, 2020

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

January 13, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement (Corrected)

This version has been corrected to note that 45,041 (or 47% of) people incarcerated in California state prisons have tested positive for COVID-19, and 174 people, including at least 83 people with disabilities, have died while in CDCR custody.

January 16, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

January 26, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Fourth Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Court Expert noted, among other things, that “[t]he fact that, to date, Armstrong class members have been almost five times more likely to die of COVID-19 than non-class members makes the work of protecting them all the more essential.”

February 1, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

February 12, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

March 2, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

March 15, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

March 24, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

April 27, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

May 17, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

May 25, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Fifth Report and Recommendations Regarding Housing of Armstrong Class Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

June 2, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

June 25, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

July 15, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

July 27, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Report of J. Clark Kelso, Receiver, Recommending Vaccine Mandate

August 4, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Order to Show Cause re: Mandatory Vaccination

August 9, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Supplemental Declaration of Dr. Joseph Bick in Support of Vaccination Mandate

August 20, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Order Modifying Order to Show Cause re: Vaccination Mandate

August 20, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Plaintiffs' Response to Order to Show Cause re: Vaccination Mandate

August 30, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Plaintiffs' Reply to Responses to Order to Show Cause re: Vaccination Mandate

September 10, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Receiver's Reply to Responses to Order to Show Cause re: Vaccination Mandate

September 10, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

September 15, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Order re: Mandatory Vaccinations

September 27, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

October 26, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

November 15, 2021

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

December 14, 2021

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

January 18, 2022

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

January 19, 2022

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

February 14, 2022

Armstrong v. Newsom

Joint Case Status Statement

March 15, 2022

Plata v. Newsom

Joint Case Management Conference Statement

March 28, 2022

Armstrong v. Newsom

Court Expert Report on Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

The Court Expert released a report following a year-long investigation of the treatment of people with disabilities at the largest state prison, the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran (SATF). He found that people with disabilities are “living diminished and needlessly difficult lives” at SATF, and as a result “face harsher prison conditions, and thus greater punishment, than their peers.” People were denied accommodations needed to safely and independently perform a wide array of activities, including to eat, perform bodily functions, write, and participate in rehabilitative programs.

December 20, 2022

Armstrong v. Newsom

Plaintiffs' Response to Court Expert's Report on Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

February 7, 2023

Armstrong v. Newsom

Order re: Court Expert's Report Regarding Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

February 24, 2023

Armstrong v. Newsom

Court Expert's Second Report re: Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

August 24, 2023

Armstrong v. Newsom

Plaintiffs' Response to Court Expert's Second Report Regarding Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

September 21, 2023

Armstrong v. Newsom

Court Expert’s Addendum to Second Report Regarding Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

November 28, 2023

Armstrong v. Newsom

Order Regarding Treatment of People with Disabilities at SATF

December 7, 2023