Federal judge approves deal to provide air conditioning at geriatric Navasota prison The settlement also resolves eight wrongful death lawsuits

Jeff Edwards, who represented 1,400 inmates a the geriatric Pack Unit, discusses a landmark settlement of a lawsuit over dangerous indoor heat outside the federal courthouse in Houston after U. S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison approved the deal on May 8, 2018. less Jeff Edwards, who represented 1,400 inmates a the geriatric Pack Unit, discusses a landmark settlement of a lawsuit over dangerous indoor heat outside the federal courthouse in Houston after U. S. District ... more Photo: Gabrielle Banks Photo: Gabrielle Banks Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Federal judge approves deal to provide air conditioning at geriatric Navasota prison 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

A federal judge in Houston Tuesday approved what he called "a magnificent" settlement between the state and inmates at a geriatric Texas prison that secures their right to be safe from potentially lethal indoor heat in the summertime.

"The lawyers started this case bitterly opposed," U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison told the attorneys and a group of inmates who had phoned in for the hearing. "I'm quite sure neither side got everything they wanted, but what they did get deserves our tribute."

Inmates from the rural Navasota prison had a chance to air concerns by phone about the proposed settlement of their 2014 class action lawsuit over their right to be safe from potentially lethal indoor heat in the summertime.

FULL STORY: Federal judge approves historic deal to provide a/c at a geriatric Texas prison



The deal applies to just over 1,300 prisoners at the Wallace Pack Unit northwest of Houston, where air conditioning has already been installed. It calls for temporary air conditioning to be in place during the next two summers, and in 2020 the state has agreed to request legislative approval for a permanent cooling system at the low-security facility. The agreement also resolves a wrongful heat injury claim by an inmate at the Hutchins Unit and eight wrongful death suits brought by families of men who died amid extreme heat at several Texas prisons that lack air conditioning.

DEAL: Landmark Texas lawsuit could extend heat protections to thousands of prison inmates

The majority of Texas prisons do not have modern cooling systems, however, the top prison official said in closed-door meetings that he has begun mapping out plans to move tens of thousands of at-risk inmates at other facilities to air-conditioned beds already available at 29 state facilities.

RULING: Federal judge orders a/c for heat-sensitive inmates at Pack Unit

The wrongful death and wrongful injury suits and the class action at the geriatric came after a series of heat fatalities during heat waves in 2011 and 2012. In July 2017, Ellison found the unmitigated heat amounted to "cruel and unusual punishment" in violation of the constitution and ordered that heat-sensitive inmates to be housed in units cooled to an 88 degree threshold. The settlement between the inmates and state prison officials came several months after Ellison's ruling.

Gabrielle Banks covers federal court for the Houston Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter or send her tips at gabrielle.banks@chron.com.