A federal lawsuit has alleged inmates at a Nashville jail were threatened with solitary confinement if they discussed a scabies outbreak.
According to reports, the lawsuit was filed Friday against CoreCivic, a private prison company that operates the Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility. The lawsuit has sought class action status for female inmates.
Scabies is caused by a skin infestation of parasites. Hundreds of inmates at the prison have been treated.
The lawsuit said after inmates tried to tell relatives about the scabies outbreak over the phone, their phone privileges were revoked.
CoreCivic spokesman Jonathan Burns said in a statement that the company does not comment on pending litigation.
Attorney Gary Blackburn filed the lawsuit. His wife, Davidson County General Sessions Judge Melissa Blackburn, has criticized CoreCivic's handling of the outbreak.
