Latest news with #NMCD
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Corrections Department open-records violations costly to taxpayers, suit alleges
Apr. 7—Open-records lawsuits against the New Mexico Corrections Department have cost the state at least $365,000 in settlement costs, a government transparency watchdog alleges in a new lawsuit. The suit, filed this month by the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG), asks a judge to compel the Corrections Department to reveal how much money the agency has paid for violations of the state Inspection of Public Records Act. The 22-page lawsuit, filed Tuesday in 1st Judicial District Court in Santa Fe, alleges the agency that operates the state's prisons has been the target of at least nine successful lawsuits since 2020 for failing to comply with the state's open-records law. Brittany Roembach, a spokeswoman for NMCD, said in a text message Wednesday that the agency would have no comment about the suit. The action stemmed from public records requests made by NMFOG in April 2024 seeking financial records showing settlement amounts and damage awards paid by the agency to resolve lawsuits filed under IPRA. The request also sought payments made to lawyers who represent the Corrections Department to contest IPRA lawsuits. Both requests sought records from January 2021 through April 3, 2024. David Pardo, NMCD's general counsel, responded in April 2024 that the agency has "no records" about settlement amounts or payments to outside law firms. Pardo referred FOG to another state agency. The suit alleges that "it is inconceivable that (NMCD) would not possess these records. Records of settlement agreements, for example, are drafted and exchanged by the parties, and ultimately would have been approved" by NMCD. The suit also alleges that NMCD has shown a pattern of failing to respond to public records requests, resulting in a series of costly lawsuits at the expense of taxpayers. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed at least seven lawsuits against the Corrections Department in the past three years alleging IPRA violations, resulting in $200,000 in settlement costs, the suit said. Among them, NMCD last year paid $38,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the ACLU seeking records regarding the use of inmate labor to manufacture products. In another case, the agency paid $70,000 last year to settle a lawsuit filed by Disability Rights New Mexico seeking records about the confiscation of illegal drugs in New Mexico prisons, according to the FOG lawsuit. The suit alleges that those actions "are the tip of the iceberg of the actual number of successful IPRA enforcement actions" against the New Mexico Corrections Department. The suit seeks unspecified damages and asks a judge to issue an injunction to ensure NMCD's compliance with the open-records laws.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
5 inmates sue New Mexico Corrections Department over poor kitchen conditions and circulating illness
GRANTS, N.M. (KRQE) – 'Abhorrent' and even 'dangerous' conditions. That's what a lawsuit alleges at Western New Mexico Correctional Facility. 'There's a health crisis going on there,' said Parrish Collins, the attorney representing the plaintiffs. Story continues below Weather: Heavy snow moves into parts of New Mexico this weekend Sports: Jake Hall commits to New Mexico men's basketball Crime: APD investigating Walmart shooting as potential justifiable homicide The lawsuit accuses the New Mexico Corrections Department of allowing poor conditions to persist, leading to a stomach infection called Helicobacter pylori to circulate among the prison population. Collins alleges that at least half of the women in the women's facility have contracted the illness at some point, with some getting it multiple times. The suit also claims multiple organizations, including the ACLU, wrote letters to the warden and the facility explaining the problem, but nothing was done. 'This has been brewing for quite a while,' said Collins. NMCD would not comment on the pending litigation but did tell KRQE News 13 it is committed to the health and well-being of those entrusted to its care seriously. In accordance with NMCD policy CD-150900 Food Service Procedures, our food services are prepared in strict adherence to health and safety codes. Our facilities undergo annual inspections by the New Mexico Environment Department. Notably, the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility successfully passed its most recent inspection in January, with flying colors. Brittany Roembach, Public Information Officer for NMCD Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
