KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Big brother really was listening, and now the entities that improperly allowed prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office to eavesdrop on privileged communications will pay.
A proposed settlement has been reached with inmates whose conversations with attorneys were taped at Leavenworth Detention Center in Kansas.
KCUR reports the agreement calls for the private operator of the prison and the phone provider to pay $1.45 million into a settlement fund for inmates. After payments to attorneys, the money will be distributed to about 539 current and former Leavenworth inmates.
The settlement with CoreCivic, which runs the prison, and Securus Technologies, which provided the phone and video services, needs court approval to become final.
On Aug. 15, a federal judge ruled that prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office in Kansas City, Kansas, improperly listened to the recorded conversations and willfully violated court orders during an independent investigation. The ruling could impact hundreds of federal convictions and sentences.
A separate class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of the attorneys whose rights were violated remains ongoing.
