Federal Court Recommends Class Certification in Pierce County Jail Civil Rights Case

Litigation attorneys Scott Pritchard, Jenna Poligo, Ali Harris, Michael Rubin and Jessica Ullom-Minnich represent proposed class representatives, Zakery Bonds and Echota Wolfclan, in a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging longstanding unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the Pierce County Jail.

On April 30, U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughan issued a 42-page report recommending certification of a class consisting of detainees housed in jail units affected by unremedied plumbing defects. The litigation alleges that systemic failures in the jail’s plumbing infrastructure caused repeated sewage backups, wastewater flow between cells, persistent odors, and related health and safety concerns.

If adopted by the district court, the recommendation would allow the case to proceed on a classwide basis and could support broader injunctive relief addressing alleged systemic conditions within the facility.

In recent coverage by The News Tribune, Pritchard emphasized the significance of the ruling, noting that the case is supported by extensive evidence suggesting the County had long been aware of the issues but failed to meaningfully address them.

The litigation highlights the broader legal and operational risks public entities face when longstanding infrastructure issues persist, including increased exposure to large-scale claims and potential court-ordered remediation.

Read “Ignored for years, jail’s sewage problems coming back to haunt Pierce County,” published May 8, 2026 in The News Tribune.