Hemenway & Barnes Helps Ensure Prisoners’ Families Receive Settlement Funds

Hemenway & Barnes is working on a pro bono basis to administer the estates of now-deceased prisoners, members of the federal class action lawsuit Diggs v. Mici. A $6.75 million settlement received final court approval on October 24, 2025. Hogan Lovells and Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts brought the lawsuit on behalf of 160 individuals over claims of excessive force and racial discrimination by correctional officers at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center.

The Estate Administration team has been working diligently to ensure that the children and family heirs of the deceased class members receive the monetary relief to which they are entitled under the settlement.

Partner Joan Garrity Flynn: “Our work involved administering six intestate estates in five Massachusetts counties, each estate presenting a very different fact pattern and requiring a unique approach. We at Hemenway & Barnes were happy to assist Hogan Lovells and Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts in this important matter.”

Read more: Law360 Pro Bono Spotlight