SCRAM Systems Lawsuit Alleges Alcohol Ankle Monitors Can Cause Rash, Infection [UPDATE]
Last Updated on January 19, 2024
Terrell v. Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc.
Filed: August 28, 2023 ◆§ 1:23-cv-02194
A South Carolina resident has sued a maker of certain alcohol ankle monitors, alleging the device caused him to develop a “severe rash” and bacterial infection.
January 19, 2024 – Parties in SCRAM Systems Alcohol Ankle Monitor Lawsuit Reach Settlement
The parties in the proposed alcohol ankle monitor class action detailed on this page have reached a private settlement.
On January 16, 2024, the parties submitted to the court a notice of settlement in which they said they have “agreed upon terms to settle this matter in its entirety.” The document states that the parties are “in the process of memorializing their settlement into a confidential written settlement agreement” and that they will file the “appropriate papers with the Court to finalize their settlement upon completion.”
Prior to the filing of the settlement notice, the case was paused by the court until February 12, 2024, the date of a previously scheduled status conference before a magistrate judge. The court has ordered the parties to update it on the status of the settlement by February 16.
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A South Carolina resident has sued a maker of alcohol ankle monitors, alleging the “poorly designed” device caused him to develop a “severe rash” and bacterial infection.
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The 12-page lawsuit against SCRAM Systems explains that the company’s ankle monitors are used to monitor DUI offenders who have been ordered by a court to avoid alcohol as part of their sentence. Per the suit, the device tracks an individual’s alcohol consumption by sampling their perspiration every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day, and logging that information in a database.
The plaintiff, who the case says was sentenced to wear a SCRAM Systems ankle monitor for seven months as a condition of his release following a November 2022 arrest, says he saw the “initial signs of a wound developing” the following April. According to the complaint, the alcohol monitor “caused a deep open wound” and severe rash on the outside of his left ankle.
The plaintiff was ultimately diagnosed with “cellulitis/dermatitis and a bacterial infection,” the filing says.
After the man received permission to place the alcohol monitor on his right ankle, the same reaction began to occur, the lawsuit continues, claiming the plaintiff’s injuries appeared “at the site where the ankle monitor was placed.”
The suit notes that the plaintiff’s ankle monitor was removed in June 2023, and his case was closed thereafter.
According to the lawsuit, SCRAM Systems “has a duty to produce a product that is safe for its intended use” and fell short of this duty by releasing a product that it “knew or should have known” could injure a user.
“Plaintiff’s injuries were caused in fact by Defendant’s breach,” the case alleges. “But for Defendant’s negligent manufacture and improper oversight, Plaintiff would not have been injured.”
The suit looks to cover all persons in the United States who were sentenced to wear an ankle monitor distributed by SCRAM Systems.
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