TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - A federal judge says the private prison company The GEO Group must turn over to Washington state detailed financial information about its immigration jail in Tacoma.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is seeking the information in a lawsuit that attempts to force the company to pay the state minimum wage to detainees who perform work at the Northwest Detention Center. They previously have been paid $1 per day.
The state says it needs information about the budget and profits to calculate how much GEO might be required to pay back. GEO has been fighting that, saying the information is sensitive and irrelevant to the case.
U.S. District Judge Robert Bryan ruled last month that GEO had to turn over the information and then denied the company’s request to reconsider. On Tuesday, he rejected GEO’s request for permission to immediately appeal.
However, Bryan said he was not making any decision about whether the information might eventually be used as evidence during trial.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.