Women's Huron Valley Scabies Lawsuit

Women's Huron Valley ("WHV") is the only women's prison in Michigan. In 2017, over 2,000 women in the custody of the Michigan Department of Corrections ("MDOC") were housed at WHV. Because there are no other female facilities, women were forced to live in severely overcrowded conditions while being denied adequate medical care and treatment. As a result, women suffered from numerous avoidable conditions, including scabies, which was left untreated for months and in some cases, years.





On March 8, 2019, we filed a class action complaint against MDOC and Corizon Health, Inc., among other parties, in the Eastern District of Michigan. The Pearson v. Washington, et. al., complaint alleges that women who were incarcerated at WHV were exposed to and contracted Sarcoptes scabiei ("scabies") after having been denied adequate medical care. For years, the women requested treatment for rashes, bites, and the constant itching they experienced. Their pleas were ignored. Defendants failed to provide adequate access to medical care with properly trained staff, resources to properly test scabies, and medication to treat scabies. Defendants failed to implement proper screening procedures, quarantine measures, and disinfecting policies, allowing scabies to spread. To view the Amended Complaint, filed on September 25, 2020, click here.

Case Updates

Frequently Asked Questions

A class action lawsuit is when a group of individuals (Plaintiffs) file a lawsuit against a common party or multiple parties (Defendants), alleging that the Defendants wronged the Plaintiffs in the same or similar way.

Plaintiffs include class representatives and class members. Class representatives are a small group of people (usually named in the lawsuit) who pursue claims on behalf of themselves and other people who have similar claims. Class members are all other individuals who have similar claims against the same Defendants.


Defendants are the companies, entities, or persons who are sued.


Once the case is filed, a judge or jury will resolve the claims. Their decision resolves the claims for both class representatives and class members, except those who have opted out of the lawsuit.

Class actions can often take years

While criminal cases typically involve frequent court hearings, it is not abnormal for civil cases, especially class actions, to go weeks or months without a hearing. In criminal cases, the defense receives discovery from the prosecution within weeks of the arraignment. In civil cases, the parties each request discovery from each other, and there are often disagreements over what must be disclosed to the other party. Additionally, if there is a resolution in a class action case, there will be a few months before plaintiffs receive any compensation from that resoltuion. 

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If you are a current class member who was recently released or otherwise need to update your contact information, please click below to provide your new address and/or phone number. Once you submit your information on this form, it is sent directly to our staff who will ensure that your updated address is included on future communications.


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Class Definitions

Pearson v. Washington, et. al. includes all currently and formerly incarcerated persons at WHV who, while incarcerated, had a skin rash consistent with scabies infestation and who were denied treatment, or whose delayed treatment caused the condition to worsen, since November 2016.


If you believe that you are eligible for this case, please fill out the requested information below and someone will contact you. 


Providing your information does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send confidential information to us until an attorney-client relationship has been established. 

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The Law Offices of David S. Steingold, PLLC is co-counsel with Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Bonnani & Rivers; Marko Law, PLLC; Excolo Law; and Nichols Kaster, PLLP for the WHV cases.