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Federal Jury Awards $667K for Religious Rights Violation

3/10/2026

49 9 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

A federal jury in St. Louis awarded $667,000 to Muslim men in Missouri after correctional officers pepper-sprayed them during prayer at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center on February 28, 2021.
The lawsuit alleged excessive force and denial of hygiene in solitary confinement.
The men prayed together in their unit during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The ruling underscores the men’s constitutional right to religious practice.

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Story summary

A federal jury in St. Louis awarded $667,000 to Muslim men in Missouri after correctional officers pepper-sprayed them during prayer at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center on February 28, 2021.
The lawsuit alleged excessive force and denial of hygiene in solitary confinement.
The men prayed together in their unit during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The ruling underscores the men’s constitutional right to religious practice.