Federal Inmate Seeks Creation of MDL Docket for COVID-19 Prison Cases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has been asked to consolidate cases in which federal inmates who are serving time for non-violent crimes, and are allegedly medically vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, seek home confinement.

In a Sept. 9 petition, Rhonda Fleming, a federal prisoner acting pro se, seeks transfer of, and coordination for, pretrial proceedings for three cases filed in the Northern District of Florida in which prisoners allege they were wrongly denied transfer to home confinement.

The cases are Fleming v. Strong, No. 20-212, Shanahan v. Strong, No. 20-267 and Lee v. Strong, No. …