HOWELL (AP) — Livingston County has agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a lawsuit over mail sent to jail inmates by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The settlement was filed recently in Detroit federal court, more than a year after an appeals court ruled against the county.
The ACLU’s Michigan branch filed a lawsuit after it got no response to two dozen letters sent to inmates.
At the time, jail administrator Tom Cremonte said staff doesn’t deliver legal mail to inmates unless it’s from a lawyer who is representing an inmate.
Cremonte said the jail gets suspicious about mass mailings. But the appeals court said the jail’s “arbitrary policies” violated the First Amendment.
The county now has agreed to deliver mail to inmates regardless of whether there’s an attorney-client relationship.
- Posted September 30, 2016
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
County agrees to pay $150K over jail mail

headlines Macomb
- Macomb County Meals on Wheels in urgent need of volunteers ahead of holiday season
- MDHHS hosting three, free virtual baby showers in November and December for new or expecting families
- MDHHS secures nearly 100 new juvenile justice placements through partnerships with local communities and providers
- MDHHS seeking proposals for student internship stipend program to enhance behavioral health workforce
- ABA webinar November 30 to explore the state of civil legal aid in America
headlines National
- This LA lawyer levels up legal protections in the video game industry
- ACLU and BigLaw firm use ‘Orange is the New Black’ in hashtag effort to promote NY jail reform
- Legal champions to receive Spirit of Excellence Award at 2026 ABA Midyear Meeting
- Fake Sullivan & Cromwell entities used by scammers should be dissolved, suit says
- Hackers gained access to ‘small number’ of attorney emails at Williams & Connolly, firm confirms
- Before joining Anderson Kill, judge was accused of rude behavior on bench, retaliatory threats in ethics case