CoreCivic lawsuits span forced-labor claims by immigration detainees, inmate-assault and medical-neglect suits, a shareholder securities-fraud case, wage claims from its own officers, and a growing set of disputes over its immigration-detention contracts. The Nashville-based private prison operator, formerly Corrections Corporation of America, has paid tens of millions in settlements, is appealing a nearly $28 million jury verdict out of Montana, and is defending a national forced-labor class action along with a federal civil rights investigation into its largest Tennessee facility.
Forced Labor Claims by ICE Detainees
The most sweeping litigation against CoreCivic accuses the company of coercing immigration detainees into working for as little as a dollar a day under threat of punishment, in violation of the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act. CoreCivic calls the program its “Voluntary Work Program.”
Owino v. CoreCivic, Inc., filed in 2017 in the Southern District of California, is the largest pending case. The plaintiffs allege detainees were made to clean bathrooms, kitchens, and offices under threat of disciplinary segregation, paid a dollar a day or nothing. The district court certified three classes in 2020, including a national forced-labor class covering detainees at any CoreCivic facility since December 2008, and the Ninth Circuit largely upheld that certification in December 2022.1United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Owino v. CoreCivic, No. 21-55221 The opt-out deadline passed in March 2025. Settlement talks collapsed in 2022, restarted, then stalled again after the November 2024 election, and as of late 2025 the case remained in discovery.2Prison Legal News. Federal Government, CoreCivic Slow-Walk Class Action Challenges Forced Labor ICE Detainees CoreCivic denies the allegations and has argued it should receive offsets for the costs of housing detainees and running the program.3CoreCivic Labor Class Action. FAQs
In October 2023, CoreCivic settled a parallel case brought by three former detainees at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Those plaintiffs said they worked eight- to nine-hour kitchen shifts, sometimes seven days a week, for roughly 50 cents an hour, and one said he was placed in solitary confinement for over a month after filing a grievance about being made to work while sick. CoreCivic agreed to give all work-program participants a bilingual “bill of rights” stating that work is voluntary, that detainees may refuse at any time, and that they are entitled to prompt pay, safety equipment, training, and respectful treatment. The individual plaintiffs received confidential benefits, and CoreCivic denied wrongdoing.4SPLC. CoreCivic For-Profit Immigrant Prisons Settlement
Inmate Assault Verdicts and Pending Suits
In April 2025, a federal jury in Great Falls, Montana, unanimously found CoreCivic liable for “deliberate indifference” in the 2018 assault of Nathaniel Lake at the Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby. Another inmate escaped his locked pod, entered Lake’s, and beat and choked him for more than three minutes with no staff intervention. Lake was airlifted out, spent 33 days in a coma, and has permanent traumatic brain damage affecting his speech, mobility, and cognition.5KTVH. Jury Awards $27M to Inmate Who Was Brutally Assaulted in Shelby Prison
The jury awarded $27.75 million in compensatory damages. Lake’s complaint cited a 2016 Department of Justice audit finding that CoreCivic “routinely had insufficient staffing.”6Tennessee Lookout. Jury Awards $28M to Man Beaten Senseless in Prison in Custody of CoreCivic The district court denied CoreCivic’s post-trial motion in August 2025 and added $410,315 in attorney fees and costs, bringing the total to over $28.1 million. CoreCivic said it “respectfully disagrees” with the verdict and has appealed to the Ninth Circuit.7Prison Legal News. Huge $27.75 Million Verdict for Montana Prisoner Nearly Beaten to Death at CoreCivic Lockup
In Tennessee, the family of Christopher Hatcher, a 32-year-old inmate at Hardeman County Correctional Center, filed a $15 million suit after he was stabbed multiple times by another inmate. The attack left him with severe brain damage, partial paralysis, and aphasia, and surgeons had to remove part of his brain. CoreCivic declined to comment on the specifics, citing ongoing litigation, but stated it has a “strong commitment to the safety and well-being” of those in its care.8Fox Chattanooga. Family Sues CoreCivic for $15M After Inmate Left With Brain Damage From Prison Attack
In May 2025, inmate Charles Anderson sued in federal court in Nashville, alleging staff at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center allowed gang members to repeatedly assault and extort him. Anderson said he was beaten, had scalding water thrown on him while sleeping, and was sexually assaulted by at least four gang members with a broom handle in October 2024. His suit alleges staff ignored multiple requests for protective custody and that then-Warden Vince Vantell dismissed the sexual assault as consensual. Vantell resigned in April 2025 after involuntary administrative leave tied to a separate DOJ investigation. CoreCivic declined to comment on the pending suit.9Tennessee Lookout. CoreCivic Inmate Sues Trousdale Turner Prison Staff Over Alleged Extortion
Medical Neglect and Deaths in Custody
Inmates at Trousdale Turner filed Dodson v. CoreCivic in 2017 in the Middle District of Tennessee, alleging that chronic understaffing led to irregular mealtimes and delayed or denied insulin injections for diabetic inmates, particularly during lockdowns.10The Tennessean. CoreCivic Diabetic Inmates Denied Insulin Trousdale Turner The court certified a class of diabetic inmates at the facility who require coordinated blood-sugar checks and insulin administration, and while it ruled that CoreCivic as a private entity could not be sued under Title II of the ADA, it allowed constitutional and negligence claims to move forward.11Prison Legal News. Tennessee Class Action Suit Against Private Prison Over Diabetic Care Can Proceed CoreCivic denied the allegations, arguing inmates caused their own complications by refusing treatment and ignoring diets.
A 2020 staff report from the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform documented several deaths at CoreCivic-operated ICE detention centers and systemic failures behind them:
- Huy Chi Tran died from sudden cardiac arrest in June 2018 at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona after eight days in custody. Internal ICE reports found a guard failed to monitor him and falsified logs, and a nurse incorrectly applied a defibrillator.
- Jean Carlos Jimenez-Joseph died by suicide in May 2017 at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia after 69 days in detention. Despite a serious mental illness, he was held in solitary confinement, and ICE’s review found an officer left the unit unsupervised seven times the night of the suicide and falsely logged rounds.
- Carlos Ernesto Escobar-Mejia died from COVID-19 complications in May 2020 at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in California, at a time when more than 169 detainees and 11 ICE employees at the facility had tested positive.
The congressional report found that ICE inspectors often issued waivers exempting facilities from health and safety requirements rather than holding contractors accountable.12U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Staff Report on ICE Contractors
The estate of Kesley Vial, a 23-year-old Brazilian asylum seeker who died by suicide in August 2022 at the Torrance County Detention Facility in New Mexico, sued CoreCivic for negligence and systemic mental-health failures. Federal inspectors had issued an “urgent alert” five months before Vial’s death recommending immediate removal of all detainees from the facility because of “acute understaffing” and “unhygienic and unsafe conditions.” CoreCivic settled with the estate by March 2026.13ACLU of New Mexico. ACLU Sues Private Prison Company After Preventable Death Asylum Seeker Torrance
The parents of Addison Smith sued CoreCivic after their 27-year-old son died by suicide in August 2019, four days after being raped by another inmate at South Central Correctional Facility in Tennessee. The complaint alleges the assailant was placed in Smith’s cell despite being in segregation for harassing other inmates for sex, that a mental-health staffer fabricated records to make it appear he had counseled Smith after the assault, and that a correctional officer dismissed Smith’s repeated suicide threats as a “bluff.” The officer was fired.14U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Smith v. CoreCivic, Case No. 3:20-cv-00563 After some claims were initially dismissed on procedural grounds, Judge Aleta Trauger reinstated the medical-malpractice claims in 2022 following a Sixth Circuit ruling that state presuit notice requirements do not apply in federal court.15CaseMine. Smith v. CoreCivic, Inc.
The DOJ Investigation Into Trousdale Turner
On August 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation into Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, Tennessee’s largest prison, under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. The investigation examines whether the state protects inmates from physical violence and sexual abuse, and whether “systemic constitutional violations” exist at the facility.16U.S. Department of Justice. Justice Department Announces Civil Rights Investigation Conditions Tennessee’s Trousdale
The DOJ cited state audits flagging “dangerous understaffing and safety concerns” since the facility opened in 2016, along with reports of assaults, murders, and a 188% guard turnover rate in 2023. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said “punishment does not and cannot include violence and sexual abuse.” Both the Tennessee Department of Correction and CoreCivic said they would cooperate. As of early 2026, no findings had been published.17Tennessee Lookout. U.S. Department of Justice Opens Investigation Into CoreCivic Trousdale County Prison
The $56 Million Securities Fraud Settlement
CoreCivic’s investors have sued too. In August 2016, the company’s stock dropped nearly 40% after the Department of Justice announced plans to phase out federal use of private prisons, citing higher rates of violence and safety incidents than at Bureau of Prisons facilities. A DOJ Inspector General report found CoreCivic prisons had 35% more inmate violence, 64% more inmate-on-inmate assaults, and dramatically higher rates of sexual assaults on staff than comparable government-run facilities.18U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Grae v. Corrections Corporation of America, No. 3:16-cv-02267
Shareholders filed Grae v. Corrections Corporation of America in the Middle District of Tennessee, alleging the company issued false and misleading statements about the quality and safety of its operations to prop up its stock price. In certifying the class, Judge Trauger noted internal CoreCivic emails in which executives expressed “surprise and pleasure” that the Inspector General’s report had failed to address problems like “continuous understaffing.”19Prison Legal News. Tennessee Federal Court Grants Class Action Status Shareholder Suit Against CoreCivic The case settled in April 2021 for $56 million.20Prison Legal News. $56 Million Settlement CoreCivic Securities Violation Lawsuit
Employee Wage and Overtime Claims
CoreCivic’s own officers have brought and settled wage suits. In Eriksen v. CoreCivic of Tennessee, filed in February 2024 in the Middle District of Tennessee, correctional and detention officers alleged the company failed to pay overtime for mandatory pre-shift security screenings that could run five to 25 minutes per shift. Officers said they had to empty pockets and bags, remove shoes and belts, and sometimes undergo pat-downs or K-9 searches before clocking in.21ClassAction.org. CoreCivic Lawsuit Claims Correctional Officers Owed Overtime for Off-the-Clock Security Screenings The parties reached a settlement of more than $1 million in December 2025, covering officers employed at CoreCivic facilities between February 2021 and January 2025.22Bloomberg Tax. CoreCivic Detention Officers Reach $1 Million Deal in Wage Suit A related case, Turner v. CoreCivic of Tennessee, filed in the District of Nevada, also alleged officers were required to perform uncompensated pre-shift work and were denied legally mandated rest breaks. That case settled as well.23Thierman Buck. CoreCivic of Tennessee LLC – Turner
Attorney-Client Wiretapping Settlement
In Crane v. Corrections Corporation of America, attorneys who represented inmates at the Leavenworth Detention Center in Kansas alleged that CoreCivic and communications provider Securus Technologies recorded and shared privileged attorney-client communications by phone, video, and in person. A federal judge issued a cease-and-desist order in 2016 after the practice was discovered. The class of roughly 750 attorneys reached a proposed $3.7 million settlement with CoreCivic in 2020.24Equal Justice Initiative. CoreCivic Inks $3.7M Deal to End Attorneys’ Prison Wiretap Claims
ICE Contract Fights and the New Jersey Ruling
CoreCivic’s expanding role in immigration detention has produced its own legal front. The company’s ICE contract awards rose 45% since the start of the current Trump administration, from $185.3 million the prior year to roughly $269 million in 2025.25POGO. ICE Inc: The Top Companies Profiting From Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
In Kansas, the City of Leavenworth sued to stop CoreCivic from reopening its Midwest Regional Reception Center for ICE detainees, arguing the company needed a special-use permit. A county judge granted a temporary injunction barring the intake of detainees. CoreCivic appealed to the Kansas Court of Appeals, which heard arguments in February 2026 and had not yet issued a written opinion. CoreCivic also applied for the permit, and the city’s planning commission voted to recommend approval, sending it to the City Commission for final consideration.26Kansas Reflector. CoreCivic Appeals to Overturn Injunction Keeping It From Housing ICE Detainees
In California, the Dignity Not Detention Coalition and a detainee filed suit in the Eastern District of California alleging CoreCivic opened the California City Immigration Processing Center in late August 2025 without the required conditional-use permit or business license. The California Attorney General’s office urged the city to deny CoreCivic’s pending applications.27The Fresno Bee. California City Immigration Processing Center Lawsuit
CoreCivic secured a significant win on constitutional grounds in July 2025, when the Third Circuit struck down a New Jersey law that barred private companies from contracting to detain people for civil immigration violations. The court held the law violated the doctrine of intergovernmental immunity because it effectively prevented the federal government from using private contractors for immigration enforcement.28United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. CoreCivic v. Governor of New Jersey, No. 23-2598
Tennessee Contract Penalties and Settlements
Beyond individual suits, Tennessee has assessed more than $29.5 million in liquidated damages against CoreCivic since 2022 for failing to meet contract terms, driven mainly by severe understaffing. Penalties broke down by facility: Hardeman County Correctional Facility ($9.75 million), Whiteville Correctional Facility ($8.54 million), Trousdale Turner ($7.38 million), and South Central Correctional Facility ($3.91 million).29Tennessee Lookout. State Penalized Private Prison Operator $29.5M Since 2022 for Contract Shortfalls A 2023 state audit reported a 146% guard turnover rate at CoreCivic prisons, compared with 37% at state-run facilities. An Associated Press review found more than $4.4 million in separate legal settlements since 2016 related to mistreatment and at least 22 inmate deaths at CoreCivic facilities in Tennessee.30Nashville Banner. CoreCivic Prison Crisis Tennessee