GEO Group, the nation’s second largest private prison company, is facing a class action brought by current and former detainees held at an immigrant detention center in Colorado. The plaintiffs allege that the GEO Group forced detainees, some of whom are undocumented immigrants, to work for extremely low wages or for no wages at all, and in some cases threatened detainees with solitary confinement as punishment if they refused to work. The Court certified the class allowing it to move forward as a class action. Click here to read more.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund (the ALDF) defeated a lawsuit filed by Landry’s Inc. and the Houston Downtown Aquarium Inc., which claimed the animal protection organization defamed Landry’s restaurant by publicly commenting on the long-controversial mistreatment of four white tiger that have been housed indoors for 12 years without adequate access to sunlight, fresh air or natural surfaces. The Court also granted the ALDF's anti-SLAPP motion (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) that allowed the Court to dismiss meritless lawsuits filed against those who speak out about a “matter of public concern.” The judge also awarded over $170,000 in attorneys’ fees and $450,000 in sanctions
