Louisville Metro to pay millions in potential class action suit settlement

A potential settlement that may cost Louisville Metro Government millions of dollars has been reached in a federal class action lawsuit that was filed against the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections nearly nine years ago.

The lawsuit alleges that LMDC unlawfully held people in custody after they had been ordered released by a judge or had completed their sentences.

The original suit was filed on February 3, 2017, and says there are potentially hundreds of people who would qualify for the settlement.

The suit stated the plaintiffs “seek actual and punitive damages from Defendants under the Civil Rights Act of 1871, 42 U.S.C. §1983, for gross and unconscionable violations of the rights, privileges and immunities guaranteed them by the Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States.”

In a status report filed in federal court, attorneys for the Louisville Metro and the plaintiffs said, “As previously reported, the Parties participated in mediation on November 21, 2025. Defendant Louisville Metro Government has since received authorization to resolve this matter for $20,000,000.”

The parties asked the court for an additional 30 days to finish working out the details. A judge still needs to approve the settlement.

Credit: Charles Gazaway/WAVE