On July 23, 2026, a federal court in San Diego granted final approval of a comprehensive settlement agreement to resolve Plaintiffs’ First and Sixth Claims for Relief in Dunsmore et al. v. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department et al., No. 3:20-cv-00406-AJB-DDL. Dunsmore is a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California against the County of San Diego, San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, and San Diego County Probation Department over unconstitutional and unlawful conditions at the San Diego County Jail facilities. The First and Sixth Claims for Relief address the County’s failures to provide constitutionally adequate medical and dental care to the Dunsmore class under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution and Article I, Sections 7 and 17 of the California Constitution. The court’s final order is here. The settlement agreement, which was approved by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on May 19, 2026 is here.
The court-approved medical and dental settlement agreement requires increased access to care, adherence to standards for treating chronic conditions, improvements to treatment for withdrawal and substance use disorders, increases in dental staffing, and appointment of neutral experts to monitor implementation and compliance. More information about the case and the settlement is available in a previous post linked here: Settlement Agreement to Resolve Medical and Dental Care Claims in Class Action on Conditions at San Diego County Jail Is Approved by Board