Shorter v. County of Los Angeles: Jail Strip Search Case

Case Background

Lecia L. Shorter, a resident of Los Angeles County, found herself caught in a legal battle against the local government after her time spent at the Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF) in Lynwood, California. Between 2010 and 2013, Shorter had been a pre-trial detainee at the jail on three separate occasions. During these stays, she endured what she described as deeply humiliating and invasive treatment by jail staff. Her experience was part of a larger pattern of behavior at the facility that eventually led to a massive class-action lawsuit, known as Amador v. Baca, which challenged the way the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) searched female inmates. While many other women chose to settle as part of that class, Shorter felt the offered compensation did not truly account for the personal toll of her experiences. Consequently, she opted out of the group settlement and filed her own individual lawsuit in April 2021 to seek justice for the specific incidents she faced.

Cause

The primary cause of the lawsuit centered on the Sheriff’s Department’s policy of conducting group strip searches and visual body cavity inspections on female inmates. Shorter alleged that these searches were not only unnecessary for jail security but were also carried out in a way that maximized embarrassment and violated basic privacy. She argued that the county targeted women with these invasive procedures while male inmates were not subjected to the same level of public degradation.

Injury

Shorter claimed significant emotional and psychological injury stemming from approximately 19 different group searches. She described being forced to strip in a bus garage that was often cold, dirty, and open to the elements. On one occasion, she had to undergo a visual body cavity search while she was menstruating, which required her to remove her feminine hygiene products in front of dozens of other people. Additionally, she reported a specific incident in 2013 where she was left handcuffed in a holding cell for twelve hours with a "spitting mask" on her head, during which time she was denied food, water, and access to a bathroom.

Damages Sought

In her complaint, Shorter requested a total of $1.25 million in general damages to compensate for her pain and suffering. She also asked the Court for punitive damages to punish the county and the Sheriff’s Department for their "willful and malicious" conduct, along with civil penalties of at least $4,000 for each individual violation of her rights.

Key Arguments and Proceedings

The legal proceedings focused heavily on whether the jail's search policies were a reasonable response to security concerns or a violation of constitutional protections. Before Shorter filed her individual claim, a federal Court had already ruled in the related class-action case that the "labia lift" procedure used during these group searches was unconstitutional because the jail failed to provide a valid reason for why such invasive searches had to be done in a public, group setting.

Legal Representation

Plaintiff(s): Lecia L. Shorter

·       Counsel for Plaintiff(s): Pro Se

Defendant(s): County of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

·       Counsel for Defendant(s): Justin W. Clark | Aamir Raza | Jeffrey Thomas Garcia Hilger | Justin W Clark

Key Arguments or Remarks by Counsel

Shorter argued that the jail maintained a "culture of egregious inmate abuse". She highlighted that the searches occurred in an outdoor bus bay where male deputies and other staff could easily see the naked women through glass doors or as they walked by. She emphasized that the jail staff used psychological abuse, including yelling and derogatory remarks, to further humiliate the women during the process.

The County’s legal team defended the practices by stating that the searches were a necessary part of jail policy designed to prevent contraband—like drugs or weapons—from being smuggled into the facility. In their formal response, they admitted that the searches included mouth and visual body cavity inspections but denied that these actions were unconstitutional or done with malice. They also argued that many of Shorter’s claims were barred by legal doctrines that prevent people from suing over the same issue multiple times or splitting their legal claims.

Claims

Shorter brought five main legal claims against the Defendants:

• Federal Civil Rights Violations: She argued the searches violated her Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.

• Equal Protection Violations: She claimed the county violated the Fourteenth Amendment by treating female inmates more harshly and invasively than male inmates.

• Privacy Violations: She asserted that the group nature of the searches violated her right to privacy under the California Constitution.

• Cruel and Unusual Punishment: She alleged that being left in a holding cell for twelve hours without basic necessities constituted a violation of her rights as a pre-trial detainee.

• State Civil Rights Violations: She sought damages under the Unruh Civil Rights Act, claiming the treatment was discriminatory and coercive.

Defense

The County of Los Angeles filed a detailed answer to the complaint, generally denying most of Shorter’s allegations regarding the specific conditions and her personal treatment. Their defense relied on the idea that the individual deputies involved were protected by "qualified immunity," a legal rule that often shields government employees from being sued unless they clearly violated a well-established law. They also contended that the jail’s policies were legitimate penological tools used to maintain safety and order within a difficult environment.

Settlement

After reviewing the claims and the history of the related litigation, the parties reached a resolution. Although Lecia Shorter had originally asked for over a million dollars in her complaint, the case concluded with a settlement agreement with Settlement Amount: $99,999.

This settlement brought an end to Shorter’s specific legal challenge against the County of Los Angeles. By accepting this amount, the legal dispute over the 19 group searches and the 2013 holding cell incident was officially resolved, avoiding a full trial. This outcome followed the broader trend of the Amador litigation, which forced the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to reckon with its treatment of women in custody and resulted in millions of dollars being paid out to thousands of former inmates who had faced similar conditions at the Lynwood facility.

Court documents are available upon request at jurimatic@exlitem.com