Much has partnered with Equip for Equality, an organization dedicated to advancing the rights of people with disabilities in Illinois, to file a federal lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
The lawsuit seeks emergency court action with a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop IDOC from confining prisoners with disabilities and serious medical conditions at the now-closed Stateville Correctional Center, despite the facility being deemed uninhabitable by state officials.
The Much team, led by principal Steve Blonder and associate Patrick Barnett, is representing Equip for Equality in the lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Stateville Correctional Center, which opened in 1925, was shuttered in 2024 due to severe neglect, vermin infestations, and structural deterioration. While IDOC transferred the entire non-disabled prison population to safer facilities, the lawsuit alleges it left 21 individuals with disabilities behind in Stateville’s derelict infirmary. In the two weeks following the case filing, IDOC moved some of the men to other prisons, but nine men remain. They endure extreme isolation, hazardous living conditions, and a lack of access to essential programs and medical care.
“These individuals have been abandoned,” said Amanda Antholt, Managing Attorney at Equip for Equality. “They are locked in their cells for up to 24 hours a day, denied access to recreation, education, and even clean drinking water. They call this setting an “infirmary,” but it is not safe or medically appropriate, and the individual’s chronic medical conditions are actually being worsened there. Yet, IDOC refuses to move them.”
The lawsuit asserts that IDOC’s actions violate the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act, which both prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities in state-run institutions. Federal regulations mandate that prisons must house individuals with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate and cannot confine them to medical areas unless necessary for active treatment.
“IDOC’s failure to relocate these individuals is not just inhumane, it is illegal,” Blonder said. “Stateville was closed because it was deemed unfit for human habitation, yet these men – who have disabilities and critical medical needs – are still being forced to live in conditions that are degrading, unsanitary, and dangerous. This case is about ensuring that Illinois upholds its responsibility to treat all incarcerated individuals with basic human dignity.”
According to the lawsuit, the lack of medical oversight, extreme isolation, and failure to provide reasonable accommodations have already caused significant harm. The lawsuit alleges that inmates have reported severe depression, anxiety, and paranoia, with some describing their experiences as akin to solitary confinement.
In January 2025, one of the 21 men died after staff allegedly ignored his urgent medical needs for hours. A week later, other prisoners reported hearing staff mocking his death.
Equip for Equality and the Much team are seeking a court order prohibiting IDOC from continuing to house individuals at the closed facility and from denying them access to the regular programs and services of an operational prison. The lawsuit also demands a declaration that IDOC’s treatment of these individuals violates federal law.
“The Americans with Disabilities Act exists for a reason,” Blonder said. “The State of Illinois cannot ignore its legal obligations just because the individuals impacted are incarcerated. This lawsuit seeks to hold IDOC accountable and ensure that all people, regardless of disability status, are treated fairly under the law.”
Equip for Equality’s legal action continues its long history of challenging discrimination in Illinois prisons. The organization has successfully litigated multiple class actions lawsuits on behalf of incarcerated individuals with disabilities, advocating for equal treatment, accessible prison conditions, and proper medical care.