Fighting Jail Suit Was Costly to County

The Chris Collins team last summer tried to block the New York Civil Liberties Union’s attempt to find out how much Erie County spends fending off jail-related lawsuits...At its office in New York City, the Civil Liberties Union has been amassing the records and tallying the amount spent over the years to defend Erie County from inmate lawsuits or to pay the settlements that make the lawsuits go away. The union’s lawyers are trying to determine if Erie County would have been better off spending that money improving jail conditions.