WASHINGTON, DC — Six current and former inmates have filed a federal lawsuit against the District of Columbia, claiming they were served meals containing dead mice, cockroaches and other insects at the D.C. Jail, exposing them to potentially serious illnesses.
The 50-page lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and first obtained by The Washington Post, claims jail officials repeatedly dismissed complaints about contaminated food despite photographs, medical evaluations, incident reports and body-camera footage documenting the incidents.
The plaintiffs — Pernell Jackson, Kevin Condray, Linnell Shelton, Spiro Stafilatos, Juwuan Tutt and Mustafa Wright — claim the D.C. Department of Corrections failed to address widespread rodent infestations and unsanitary food-preparation conditions at the jail.
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages for the six men and class-action status on behalf of people currently or potentially detained before trial at the jail. It also asks a federal judge to order inspections, regular pest extermination and improved food safety procedures.
The allegations have not been proven in court. The District of Columbia is the sole defendant in the lawsuit.
According to the complaint, Jackson discovered a dead mouse in his salad after eating several bites of dinner on Aug. 31, 2024. He immediately vomited and was later diagnosed with gastroenteritis, a condition involving inflammation of the stomach and intestines.
A correctional officer photographed the contaminated meal, and an official incident report documented the discovery, the lawsuit states.
In another incident, Stafilatos claimed he discovered a dead mouse beneath a piece of bread on his dinner tray in October 2025. The lawsuit includes photographs of the meal and says an officer documented the incident with a body-worn camera.
Shelton, who was observing Ramadan, claimed he found a dead mouse in his rice while preparing to break his fast in March 2026. According to the complaint, a correctional officer accused Shelton of placing the mouse in the food himself and threatened to send him to disciplinary segregation.
Another plaintiff, Tutt, claimed he found a dead mouse beneath a slice of cheese on his meal tray in August 2026.According to the complaint,
Wright reported two incidents in November 2025. He claimed he bit into a cockroach mixed into potatoes during breakfast and discovered another insect in a Thanksgiving meal containing cranberry sauce and green beans.
Condray also claims he bit into a dead mouse while eating red beans and rice in September 2023.
The plaintiffs say the incidents caused nausea, vomiting, anxiety, loss of appetite and other physical and psychological problems. Several reported avoiding regular jail meals and relying instead on food purchased from the commissary.
The lawsuit claims jail officials routinely dismissed reports of contaminated meals, saying they inspected food trays before delivering them to inmates.
In one grievance response, officials said contamination was "not possible" because trays were checked before service, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit claims that despite repeated complaints, the Department of Corrections failed to implement effective pest control and food safety procedures.
It also cites additional incidents involving inmates who claim they discovered spiders, mouse droppings, rodent tails and other foreign objects in their meals.
The allegations follow years of concerns about conditions at the D.C. Jail.
A 2025 report from the Office of the D.C. Auditor documented complaints about contaminated food, including reports of bugs, rodents, screws and other foreign objects in meals.
According to the lawsuit, the auditor's report identified 221 food service-related grievances during a one-year period ending June 30, 2024.
The complaint also cites a 2019 auditor's report documenting repeated food safety violations, including unsanitary preparation areas, improper food temperatures and inadequate pest control.
An October 2021 U.S. Marshals Service inspection found that the jail's food storage and delivery practices did not meet industry standards, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs claim the Department of Corrections has known about the problems for years but failed to take meaningful corrective action.
The lawsuit alleges violations of the Fifth Amendment's due process protections, negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and negligent training and supervision.
Attorneys are asking the court to require immediate and ongoing inspections of the jail, regular extermination, airtight food storage containers and mandatory food inspections during preparation and distribution.
The plaintiffs also seek compensatory and punitive damages in amounts to be determined at trial, along with attorneys' fees and court costs.
The proposed class action would cover people who are or will be held at the jail while awaiting trial.
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