Lawyers representing Oregon prisoners who contracted COVID-19 while incarcerated as well as the estates of inmates who died after contracting COVID-19 while incarcerated in Oregon are seeking to have the lawsuit certified as a class action. The lawsuit claims that Corrections officials failed to adhere to protocols like mask wearing and social distancing for employees as well as inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic. This lack of adherence allegedly has led to 3,607 prisoners testing positive for COVID-19 while 42 inmates have died from COVID-19.

The class, if approved, would be made up of three sub-classes:

1.           Inmates diagnosed with COVID-19;

2.           Inmates that were not offered a COVID-19 vaccine by January 1, 2020; and

3.           Estates of inmates who had COVID-19 and died while in prison.