An Illinois judge is allowing a group of teens to sue Empire for filming the show in the juvenile prison they reside in.
U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve refused to dismiss a proposed class action lawsuit against the hit Fox drama for the taping of the show in the summer of 2015. Two inmates brought a 12-count complaint in August 2016 on behalf of themselves and other young inmates. They alleged that officials at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center placed the inmates on lockdown to accommodate the taping of the Taraji P. Henson and Terrance Howard show.
The lawsuit also alleges:
That inmates were ordered into “pod” areas and sat there for days.They were deprived of their daily education, recreational activities, the library, the infirmary and the chapel.Sick requests were ignored and family visits were eliminated.Those with diagnosed mental disorders were psychologically damaged by the lockdowns.Inmates’ due process rights were routinely denied by the lockdowns.