Ferguson Settles 'Debtors' Prison' Lawsuit for $4.5 Million

The settlement will compensate over 15,000 individuals jailed for failing to pay fines and fees, marking a significant step towards addressing past injustices.

• Ferguson, Missouri, has agreed to pay $4.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing it of operating a 'debtors' prison'.
• The settlement covers more than 15,000 people jailed between Feb. 8, 2010, and Dec. 30, 2022, for failing to pay fines, fees, and other court costs.
• The lawsuit was filed following the 2014 protests over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, leading to a Department of Justice investigation into Ferguson's policing practices.
• ArchCity Defenders, the legal nonprofit that announced the settlement, has reached preliminary settlements in seven class-action cases, totaling nearly $20 million.
• Ferguson admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement, and the funds will be distributed to the affected individuals, with some plaintiffs having passed away before the settlement was reached.

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