In April 2020, Michael Fairhurst, as part of a co-counsel team with the ACLU of Colorado and Killmer Lane and Newman, LLP, helped file a class action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on behalf of high-risk people held in the Weld County Jail. The suit sought an emergency order requiring Sheriff Steve Reams to follow COVID-19 public health guidelines, including physical distancing, and alleged that inadequate protective measures led to a substantial outbreak in the jail.
In May 2020, U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer found that the jail's protective measures were insufficient, and the jail then moved to identify and socially distance vulnerable inmates. In December 2020, the parties reached a settlement and jointly asked the court to enter a consent decree. Its terms include added protections for medically vulnerable detainees, social distancing, masks and CDC-consistent testing, and continued data sharing on jail population numbers and COVID-19 infections.
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