Plaintiff Chloe Grey has obtained a victory in a lawsuit filed earlier this year alleging that Maryland’s treatment of transgender incarcerated individuals violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and Eighth Amendment. Ms. Grey—a transgender woman held in a men’s correctional facility who has been held in solitary, retaliated against, denied medication and food, assaulted, and more, because of her transgender status—was granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) by United States District Court Judge Matthew J. Maddox.
The TRO requires the State to evaluate Ms. Grey for transfer to a women’s prison within 30 days; videotape every time she is given her hormone treatment, because staff routinely denied her medication while writing otherwise in medical records; ensure she is protected from alleged abusers; and provide her razors and facial hair treatment.
“While our client has bravely stood up for her right to live true to her gender identity, Maryland has unfortunately punished her for bravery—subjecting her to discriminatory and dangerous treatment because she is transgender and refuses to accept denial of her federal civil rights. The brutality that Ms. Grey has been made to withstand is harrowing,” said Jessie Weber, a partner at BGL and one of the lead attorneys on the case. “While the battle for justice for our clients is by no means over, we are pleased to be moving in the right direction.”
Brown Goldstein & Levy first filed Chelsea Gilliam, et al., v. Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, et al. on April 18, 2023, on behalf of Chelsea Gilliam, a transgender woman who was held at two men’s correctional facilities, where she suffered sexual assault, denial of hormone treatment, and on-going harassment because of her transgender status. Later, Kennedy Holland and Chloe Grey joined the suit.
Plaintiffs are represented by Eve Hill, Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum, Jessie Weber, Lauren DiMartino, and Evan Monod of Brown Goldstein & Levy and co-counsel, Deborah Golden of the Law Office of Deborah M. Golden.
“Brown Goldstein & Levy is committed to protecting and advancing the rights of members of the LGBTQ+ community, like Ms. Grey, Ms. Gilliam, and Ms. Holland” said BGL partner Eve Hill. “We are proud to fight for justice on their behalf and advocate for much-needed accountability from those who violated their civil rights.”
Learn more about BGL’s LGBTQ+ rights practice here.
Founded in 1982, Brown Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, DC. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm and has decades of experience bringing passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.