ST. LOUIS (CN) - A lawyer representing men who were held for months in the city jail in cases of mistaken identity asked to turn the federal cases into a class action against the St. Louis police, sheriff's office, corrections and city officials.
James O. Hacking, who represents Cedric M. Wright and Dwayne A. Jackson, says four other inmates have told him they too were wrongfully arrested and jailed.
Wright, in his complaint filed in January, claims he was held in jail for 2 months on charges against another man who was already in jail.
Jackson, in his complaint filed this month, says he spent 3 months in jail on charges against another man with the same name.
"Local news reports have indicated that there are many more individuals who have been wrongfully incarcerated due to the inadequate policies and procedures used by the defendants in identifying individuals," attorney Hacking wrote in his amended complaint.
The class would include all those jailed by officials' mistakes since April 2010.
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