Lawsuit Alleges Civil Rights Violations at Knox County Jail

Lawsuit Alleges Civil Rights Violations at Knox County Jail

Among the issues: video visitation, lack of medical care, prolonged lockdowns and fees for commissary and communication.

by jesse fox mayshark • january 8, 2019

The Knoxville defense attorney who successfully sued Knox County for jail crowding in the 1980s has filed a wide-ranging federal lawsuit alleging a host of civil rights violations at the county’s Roger D. Wilson Detention Facility.
A case likely to be watched closely by vendors that provide fee services at jails.
Attorney John Eldridge filed the class-action suit on Dec. 23, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The suit compiles complaints from a dozen inmates at the jail on Maloneyville Road in East Knox County, including the denial of in-person visitation, lack of access to outdoor exercise...