In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from California prison officials seeking immunity from lawsuits related to the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin in May 2020. The court's decision, issued without comment or dissent, allows lawsuits from families of deceased inmates and infected staff to proceed.

The controversy centers on the transfer of 122 inmates from the COVID-stricken California Institution for Men in Chino to San Quentin, which had no known cases at the time. This transfer led to a massive outbreak, infecting over 2,100 inmates and 270 staff members, and resulted in the deaths of 26 prisoners and one guard, Sgt. Gilbert Polanco.

State lawmakers harshly criticized the transfer decision, labeling it as a "fiasco" and "abhorrent." The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled that prison officials' actions constituted "deliberate indifference," a standard that holds officials liable for failing to protect inmates from known dangers.

Attorney Michael J. Haddad, representing the affected families, emphasized that the state's appeal being denied at the highest level ensures accountability for the tragic outcomes. The plaintiffs argue that prison officials failed to take necessary precautions during the transfer, resulting in preventable deaths and infections.

The principle of qualified immunity, often protecting law enforcement officers from lawsuits, was deemed inapplicable by both the federal courts and the Supreme Court in this case. The legal proceedings will now focus on holding prison officials accountable for their management of the COVID-19 crisis, setting a significant precedent for similar cases in the future.