Eddy and Roosevelt County Win
Memorandum Opinion and Amended Order
SANTA FE, NM – Eddy and Roosevelt Counties recently prevailed in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by a Roosevelt County employee. The plaintiff claimed that his due process rights were violated by both counties as a result of an incident in which he was attacked by a detention center inmate while on work release. The injuries were covered by workers’ compensation. The plaintiff argued that the counties’ policies were unconstitutional and contributed to the attack by the inmate.
Federal District Court Judge Browning ruled in favor of the county defendants on all federal claims. The federal and state claims were successfully dismissed and a case that has been pending since 2014 is now over. Jonlyn Martinez represented Eddy County and Scott Hatcher was the attorney representing Roosevelt County.
“The County was pleased with the court’s ruling and long ago moved on from this unfortunate incident,” stated County Manager Amber Hamilton. “The Detention Center is closing out its second full year as an accredited facility. We’re proud of the team’s accomplishments and extremely thankful for their hard work and dedication.”
The New Mexico Counties is a non-profit, nonpartisan association representing New Mexico’s 33 counties since 1936. Its mission is to strengthen New Mexico counties’ ability to govern their own affairs and to improve the well-being and quality of life of their constituents. NM Counties provides numerous services to counties including legislative advocacy, self-insurance administration, legal assistance, and professional development. For more information, please visit www.nmcounties.org.
