“The realization that this could happen to potentially anyone is frightening,” said Jia Cobb, one of Kovari’s attorneys.
“No one should be treated like this, no matter what they are accused of, even if they are convicted of a crime.
Prisoner Transportation Services, the nation's largest for-profit extradition company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit alleges trips like Kovari's can be life-threatening for people with medical conditions because basic medical needs are not met.
States and municipalities have increasingly outsourced prisoner transport to private companies that say they can provide the service for less money.
The Justice Department was already investigating Prisoner Transportation Services for other abuse allegations before Kovari's arrest, according to the Marshall Project.
Nevertheless, Kovari's attorney said, the company still subjected him to “overcrowded, unsanitary and unsafe conditions of confinement. »