Makyyla Holland v. Broome County et al

Makyyla Holland (she/her/hers), a 23-year-old transgender Broome County resident, filed suit against Broome County, the Broome County’s Sheriff and officials at Broome County Jail seeking redress for violence, threats to her safety, denial of medical care, and discrimination inflicted on her because she is transgender.  The lawsuit seeks to ensure no other transgender people are subjected to such abuses while they are in custody.

During the six weeks she spent in County custody, the Broome County sheriff’s office and its corrections officers discriminated against Ms. Holland on the basis of her sex, transgender status and disability; beat her; subjected her to illegal strip searches; and denied her access to prescribed medications, including antidepressants and hormone treatments, triggering severe withdrawal symptoms. In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, attorneys from the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF), the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) and pro bono counsel Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP argue that this abuse violated Ms. Holland’s rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments, Americans with Disabilities Act, and numerous other federal and state laws.