$18M Suffolk County Settlement Resolves Lawsuit Over Allegedly Inhumane, Unsanitary Conditions in Correctional Facilities

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

An $18 million settlement will resolve a consolidated class action lawsuit that alleged that detainees and/or inmates were subjected to unconstitutional conditions at Suffolk County’s Riverhead and Yaphank Correctional Facilities on Long Island, New York.

Don’t miss the next class action settlement deadline. Sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter.

The court-approved website for the Suffolk County jails class action settlement can be found at SuffolkJailsLawsuit.com.

The deal covers all individuals who are or were detained in the custody of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department and housed in the Suffolk County Correctional Facilities (SCCF), which include Riverhead and Yaphank, at any time between April 5, 2009 and May 27, 2025. According to the settlement agreement, the deal does not include those housed exclusively in the Yaphank facility built in 2013.

Eligible class members who submit a timely, valid claim form are entitled to receive cash benefits from the Suffolk County Correctional Facilities settlement. The deadline to file an SCCF settlement claim form is December 3, 2025.

You can submit a claim form online on this page. Alternatively, you may download a PDF claim form or contact the settlement administrator to request a paper copy to return by mail.

Online claim form submission requires a unique class member ID, which can be found on the personalized settlement notice that eligible individuals should have received by mail. If you do not have a class member ID, you may still print and mail in the claim form.

According to the official SCCF settlement website, most of the settlement fund will be used for cash payments to class members, after deductions are made for administrative costs, litigation expenses and service awards.

The site says that class members who file a timely, valid claim form are entitled to receive a per diem award, meaning a pro-rated share of $12 million that will be calculated based on how many days an individual was incarcerated in the SCCF between April 5, 2009 and May 27, 2025. Individual payment amounts will also depend on the total number of days that all class members were detained during that period, the website explains.

Class members, or their estates, may also submit a claim for a Tier 1 special injury award if they provide medical records or similar documentation to demonstrate that they experienced “death, dismemberment, or a condition requiring ongoing and significant medical treatment” in connection with the SCCF’s confinement conditions, the site relays. The cash benefit will be paid on top of a per diem award and is capped at $30,000 per claimant, the website adds.

Alternatively, a Tier 2 special injury award—to be paid in addition to a per diem award and limited to $15,000 per claimant—is available to class members, or their estates, who file a valid claim with documentation showing that they experienced hospitalization or other temporary significant medical treatment as a result of the SCCF’s conditions, the site states.

For individuals seeking medical records reflecting treatment received while incarcerated or from another source, the website provides a Suffolk County Department of Health medical record release form and a general medical record release form.

As part of the SCCF class action settlement, the county has also agreed to make physical repairs to the jail system, appoint a health professional responsible for addressing environmental health concerns at the facilities, provide environmental health training to personnel and incarcerated individuals, and ensure the proper distribution of cleaning supplies, among other remediation efforts, the site says.

The Suffolk County jails settlement received preliminary approval from the court on May 27, 2025. Next, the court must determine whether to grant final approval to the terms of the deal at a hearing on November 3, 2025.

Should the deal be ultimately approved, cash payments will be issued to eligible class members within 90 days following the date it goes into effect, according to the settlement agreement.

The SCCF lawsuit, first filed in 2011, accused Suffolk County of violating inmates’ constitutional rights by failing to remedy allegedly inhumane and unsanitary conditions at the Riverhead and Yaphank facilities. The class action suit asserted that within the SCCF, incarcerated individuals had insufficient access to clean drinking water and were regularly exposed to human waste, mold, rust, vermin and freezing temperatures.

Did you know that some class action settlements require no proof to submit a claim? Check out the latest open class action settlements.