Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores’ Platinum Equity LLC and Securus Technologies LLC are among the parties named in lawsuits against county jails and telecom firms in Michigan. The lawsuits claim St. Clair County and Genessee County were “part of a quid pro quo kickback scheme” with telecom providers to charge families “exorbitant rates to communicate with one another through ‘services’ such as low-quality phone and video calls,” according to reporting from the Detroit Free Press.
St. Clair County allowed in-person family visiting until 2017, while Genesee County allowed the practice until 2014. The lawsuits seek preliminary and permanent injunctions in both counties that would end the in-person visitation ban and damages, the Free Press reports.