Geo Group Settles Aurora Detention Center Labor Lawsuit Days Before Trial

A private company that has managed a major immigrant detention center in Colorado for four decades has ended a long legal dispute with former residents. Geo Group reached a settlement agreement on Monday, halting a lawsuit that alleged the facility subjected detainees to forced labor conditions.

The deal was struck just before the trial was scheduled to begin in federal court in Denver. Court filings released on Monday did not disclose the specific financial terms or other details of the agreement. Hans Meyer, an attorney representing the group of former detainees, declined to provide further information on the settlement amount or terms.

The lawsuit accused the Florida based company of running a program that required six randomly selected detainees from each housing unit to clean their living spaces. The complaint stated that those who did not perform the cleaning were sent to solitary confinement. The legal team also argued that the company benefited financially from a voluntary work program that paid detainees one dollar per day for various jobs within the facility.

In a statement, Meyer and his legal team described the settlement as a win for clients who endured what they called inhumane treatment while locked up near the federal courthouse. They noted that their clients had fought for justice despite long odds. The statement emphasized that the outcome demonstrated the legal system could still provide recourse for marginalized individuals.

Geo Group operates the Aurora facility and expects to generate three billion dollars in revenue this year. The company did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the settlement. The agreement concludes a fourteen year legal fight over the detainee labor program.

The case challenged the specific methods Geo Group used to manage labor and discipline within the detention center. The settlement prevents the jury trial that was set to start in the Denver federal courthouse on the same day the agreement was reached.