Twenty women filed a federal civil rights class-action lawsuit on May 22, 2026, against the San Francisco Sheriff's Office, alleging that female inmates were forced to strip naked in front of male deputies during searches conducted at a San Francisco jail in May 2025 [1]. The complaint asserts claims of unequal protection and unlawful strip searches, contending that deputies, including men, corralled the women and that male deputies present did not avert their eyes [1].
The lawsuit invokes Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and equal protection principles under the Fourteenth Amendment [1]. Strip searches of detainees are constitutionally permissible in limited circumstances, but courts have consistently held that conducting or witnessing such searches in a cross-gender context, absent a specific security justification, raises serious constitutional questions. The plaintiffs are represented in part through advocacy connected to the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, and the named defendants include the Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Mano Raju [1].
The Sheriff's Office disputed the plaintiffs' account, stating that female deputies conducted the searches and characterizing the lawsuit's framing as inaccurate [1]. That factual dispute, whether male deputies were present in a capacity that rendered the searches constitutionally infirm, is likely to be a central issue in early motion practice and in any class certification briefing. To certify a class, plaintiffs must demonstrate numerosity, commonality, typicality, and adequacy under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23, and they must identify a common policy or practice that ties the claims together.
The case was filed in federal court in the Northern District of California [1]. Plaintiffs' counsel, including attorney Elizabeth Bertolino, held a press conference the day of filing, drawing public attention to the allegations before any judicial response [1]. The Sheriff's Office has not yet filed a formal answer or motion to dismiss as of the filing date.
The litigation will likely proceed to an initial case management conference, where the court will set deadlines for class certification briefing and early discovery. Whether plaintiffs can establish a pattern or practice sufficient to sustain class treatment, rather than proceeding as individual claims, will shape the practical scope and settlement leverage of the case. Given the public safety context and the involvement of a major metropolitan sheriff's department, the matter carries implications beyond San Francisco for detainee rights and law enforcement accountability in California jails.