FAIRFIELD, Ohio — Butler County and the city of Fairfield will pay $1.2 million to settle a class action lawsuit involving around 500 people who claimed they were held at the Butler County Jail for more than 48 hours before seeing a judge, federal court records show.
The lawsuit was filed in 2019 by two men, Anselm Caddell and Caleb Lawson, after they were arrested in Fairfield and held at the Butler County jail for multiple days without seeing a judge, as required by law. One of the men claimed he was in jail for five days without a court hearing or the opportunity to post bond. The other said he was held for four days.
"Justice delayed, justice denied," said attorney Carl Lewis, who was not involved in the lawsuit but reviewed the case at WCPO's request.
You can watch the full breakdown of this lawsuit below:
The court certified the case as a class action in 2023, allowing others to join.
Approximately 500 people who were arrested between February 2017 and February 2019 said they experienced the same long wait times to get their day in court, adding to the lawsuit against Fairfield Municipal Court, former Judge Joyce Campbell and Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones.
"They’re innocent until proven guilty," Lewis said. "That’s a commodity that you cannot regain. You cannot get time back. That’s a commodity that you cannot regain. So at the end, you say, 'Hey, not guilty,' you sat three or five days before the clock start ticking and the wheels start rolling on litigation of your case."
Lewis said with some exceptions in Ohio — like extenuating circumstances including weather events — cases shouldn’t experience "unnecessary delays." Still, Lewis believes there are solutions.
"There are a lot of offenses ... driving, petty theft, where an individual should not have to really be taken into custody," Lewis said. "Unless there are circumstances that require a review by a judge or magistrate. I believe we need to lean on the use of virtual technology."
Since this case was filed, the court changed its procedures to make sure hearings were held within 48 hours of an arrest. The sheriff’s office also began tracking this timeline.
Campbell retired last fall after 25 years on the bench. Gov. Mike DeWine recently appointed a new judge, Zachary Zoz. Zoz will assume office on March 31, 2025.
Watch Live:
