A major milestone was passed in early November as Oregon courts certified prisoners with hepatitis C as a class, allowing a class-action lawsuit against the state to proceed. This is the first inmate class certified in Oregon in almost 30 years, and marks the first time in the country that an inmate class has been defined around hepatitis C. The suit began with eleven inmates, who contended that Department of Corrections’ treatment of their disease is designed to exclude inmates from extensive drug therapy.

The suit will demand mandatory testing for inmates entering the system, which would set a nation-wide precedent. Attorney Michelle Burroughs reports that the case may eventually include as many as 400 plaintiffs, and will seek $17.5 million for the treatment of those inmates. An estimated 30 percent of Oregon inmates have chronic hepatitis, though the actual figure may be closer to 60 percent, as cases have historically been underreported.

Source: The Oregonian