Judge orders jail’s health care contractor to prove its compliance with settlement in advance of December hearing.

A federal judge on Aug. 1 ordered Wellpath, the County of Monterey’s health care contractor in the jail, to submit a report by Aug. 16 outlining how it is complying with the terms of a 2015 settlement.

A two-day hearing is scheduled for Dec. 16-17 in the United States District Court in San Jose, where fines may be levied on Wellpath, according to the order by Judge Beth Labson Freeman. But Wellpath, the County of Monterey and the attorneys representing those incarcerated are required to meet “as soon as is practicable” to see if they can come to some sort of an agreement over compliance issues.

Incarcerated people in the jail filed a class-action lawsuit over health care conditions in 2013. Two years later, the plaintiffs settled with the County of Monterey and Wellpath. The terms of the settlement include ongoing third-party monitoring.

In 2023, a federal judge ruled that issues in the jail remained unresolved and the County and Wellpath were violating the settlement by not being in “substantial compliance” with most of the 44 requirements spelled out in the settlement agreement.

In a report filed on July 26, Wellpath’s attorney Allison J. Becker wrote the health care contractor “has made significant strides towards compliance, specifically in staffing, intake and training,” but took issue with the methodology of the monitor’s reports.