Dunn v. Cuyahoga County (2023)

Background: Filed in February 2023, Dunn v. Cuyahoga County is a class-action lawsuit brought against Cuyahoga County, Ohio, seeking relief for the county  knowingly allowing hundreds of individuals annually to be detained in its jails after they qualify for release. The complaint details that individuals have been jailed for as long as 56 days past legal basis for detention, and that nearly 300 individuals in 2021 and 2022 were over-detained despite repeated notice from the Cleveland Division of Police to the County of such systemic overdetentions.

Impact: The lawsuit has coincided with multiple investigations into the Cuyahoga County Jail’s financial and operational issues, including a reported effort to keep people in Cuyahoga County detained in jail solely in order to generate revenue for the County. The case is ongoing.

Media coverage: Cuyahoga County Insider