Suffolk County, New York is on the hook for more than $130 million from two federal jail lawsuits: an $18 million class-action settlement over filthy, unsafe conditions at the Riverhead and Yaphank correctional facilities, and a $112 million jury verdict for immigrants who were held past their release dates so ICE could pick them up. The settlement is in the payout phase and its claim deadline has passed. The verdict is being appealed.
The Jail Conditions Settlement: Butler v. Suffolk County
The class action, filed in 2011 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, consolidated more than 100 complaints from people held at the Riverhead and Yaphank jails.1NYCLU. Lawsuit Challenges Appalling Conditions at Suffolk County Jails2NYCLU. Fact Check: What It’s Really Like in Jail3ClassAction.org. $18M Suffolk County Settlement Resolves Lawsuit Over Allegedly Inhumane, Unsanitary Conditions in Correctional Facilities Former detainees said they were served chicken labeled “not for human consumption.” Most of the people living in those conditions had not been convicted of anything.
In 2013, Judge Joanna Seybert certified the case as a class action under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, covering all current and future detainees of the county’s jails.4NYCLU. Butler v. Suffolk County: Challenging Appalling, Inhumane Conditions in Suffolk County Jails After fourteen years of litigation, the parties reached a settlement that received preliminary approval on May 27, 2025 and final approval on November 3, 2025.5Suffolk Jails Lawsuit. Butler v. Suffolk County Settlement
Who Qualified and How the Money Was Divided
The settlement created an $18 million fund for people incarcerated in Suffolk County’s correctional facilities between April 5, 2009 and May 27, 2025. People housed exclusively at the newer Yaphank facility built in 2013 were excluded.6PR Newswire. All Persons Incarcerated in Suffolk County Correctional Facilities May Be Entitled to Money From a Proposed Class Action Settlement
Up to $12 million is set aside for per diem payments based on how many days each person was incarcerated during the class period. On top of that, class members who can document serious injuries tied to the conditions are eligible for additional “special injury” awards: up to $30,000 for death, dismemberment, or conditions requiring ongoing significant medical treatment, and up to $15,000 for hospitalization or temporary significant medical treatment. Original lead plaintiffs can receive up to $20,000; additional lead plaintiffs up to $10,000.3ClassAction.org. $18M Suffolk County Settlement Resolves Lawsuit Over Allegedly Inhumane, Unsanitary Conditions in Correctional Facilities7Riverhead Local. Suffolk Agrees to $18 Million Settlement of Class Action Federal Lawsuit Over Jail Conditions
Where Claims Stand Now
The claim deadline was December 3, 2025, and no appeals were filed from the final judgment entered on November 10, 2025. The case is in the distribution phase, and the court has granted extensions of time for payments to go out. Class members with questions can contact the court-appointed claims administrator, Kroll Settlement Administration LLC, at (833) 420-3826.8Suffolk Jails Lawsuit. Butler v. Suffolk County Documents If you missed the claim window, this fund is closed to new claims; the deadline was firm.
The settlement was not just about money. Suffolk County agreed to make physical repairs, hire an environmental health professional to oversee conditions at both facilities for at least three years, train staff on environmental health, distribute cleaning supplies properly, and pay for an independent expert to conduct annual assessments and file public reports with the court.9NYCLU. NYCLU, A&O Shearman Secure Settlement With Suffolk County Providing for Improvement in Jail Conditions and $18 Million Payment
The ICE Detainer Case: Castaneda v. Suffolk County
The second lawsuit, Orellana Castaneda v. County of Suffolk, challenged something different: what happened to people on their way out of the jail. Starting December 2, 2016, then-Sheriff Vincent DeMarco required that inmates subject to an ICE detainer with a federal administrative arrest warrant be held up to 48 hours past their scheduled release date. The Sheriff’s Office rewrote the paperwork to show them as being in federal custody and held them in cells at the Riverhead facility that were rented to ICE.10FindLaw. People v. DeMarco During this period Suffolk received more ICE detainer requests than any other sheriff’s office in New York State.11NYCLU. People ex rel. Wells on Behalf of Francis v. DeMarco
A New York State appellate court struck down the practice in November 2018, ruling that New York state and local officers are “not authorized by New York law to effectuate arrests for civil law immigration violations” and that holding someone past their release date on an ICE detainer is a new, unlawful arrest.10FindLaw. People v. DeMarco Current Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. discontinued the practice after that ruling.12Riverhead Local. Suffolk Ordered to Pay $112 Million in Damages in Class Action Lawsuit Over Unlawful Detention of Immigrants
The $112 Million Verdict
The federal case was filed in 2017 by LatinoJustice PRLDEF and the law firm Winston & Strawn on behalf of immigrants detained between July 2014 and November 2018.13Gothamist. Suffolk County to Appeal $112M Award to Unlawfully Detained Immigrants, Official Says On January 2, 2025, Judge William F. Kuntz II granted summary judgment to the plaintiffs on liability, finding the county liable under Monell because the detainer practice was an official county policy.14Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Orellana Castaneda v. County of Suffolk
A six-day damages trial began on November 4, 2025. The class consisted of 674 immigrants. Lead plaintiff Joaquin Orellana Castañeda testified remotely from Guatemala, where he had been deported.15Prison Legal News. Massive $112 Million Jury Verdict for Detainees Held in New York Jail Past Release Date on ICE Detainers On November 10, 2025, the jury returned $112 million in compensatory damages: $75 million for Fourth Amendment and New York State constitutional violations, and $37 million for procedural due process violations.14Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Orellana Castaneda v. County of Suffolk
Why the Money Has Not Been Paid
Suffolk County is fighting the verdict. On November 25, 2025, the County Legislature authorized a $125 million surety bond, at a cost of $650,000, to stay the judgment during appeal. In December 2025, the county’s outside firm Dewey Pegno & Kramarsky moved to vacate the verdict or get a new trial, arguing the trial contained “several substantial errors,” including allegedly erroneous jury instructions and a ruling that let plaintiffs ask for a specific dollar amount without sufficient supporting evidence.16Newsday. Suffolk ICE Verdict
Judge Kuntz heard arguments on the motion to vacate on June 16, 2026. Both sides are awaiting his written decision, and plaintiffs’ attorneys expect the county to appeal to the Second Circuit if the motion is denied.16Newsday. Suffolk ICE Verdict A separate fight is pending over the plaintiffs’ request for $5.7 million in attorney fees. If you were held past your release date on an ICE detainer during the class period, no distribution process has opened yet; payment depends on the verdict surviving appeal.
What It Is Costing the County and What Has Changed
The combined price tag is substantial. The $18 million settlement is being distributed now. The $112 million verdict, if upheld, would rank among the largest civil rights jury awards against a local government in recent memory. Legal costs are piling on top: the county paid Dewey Pegno & Kramarsky roughly $2.4 million in 2025 to defend the Castaneda case, plus the $650,000 for the surety bond.16Newsday. Suffolk ICE Verdict
The county is also spending to fix what the Butler plaintiffs described. In February 2026, the County Legislature approved an $18.8 million bond for repairs at the 57-year-old Riverhead facility, including a $16.2 million complete overhaul of the kitchen, which had not been fully renovated since the jail opened in 1969.17Riverhead News-Review. Riverhead Jail to Get $18.8M Upgrade for 57-Year-Old Kitchen Repairs
Policy has changed too. The Suffolk County Police Department’s current policy, updated in October 2023, states that “arrestees shall not be detained solely pursuant to a request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold the arrestee or on the basis of an ICE administrative warrant,” and makes clear that ICE administrative warrants “are not enforceable by local law enforcement officers.”18Suffolk County Police Department. Policy 414: Immigration Status Under the Butler settlement, an independent expert will inspect the Riverhead and Yaphank jails every year and file public reports with the court for at least three years.19Suffolk Jails Lawsuit FAQ. Butler v. Suffolk County Settlement FAQ