Immigration detainees held at The GEO Group’s Aurora, Colorado, detention facility between 2004 and 2014 are covered by a forced labor and unjust enrichment class action that GEO and the detainees agreed to settle on November 2, 2026, the day trial was set to begin. The terms are not public and there is nothing to claim yet; class members are to be notified if the court grants preliminary approval.
What Happened
The GEO Group, Inc. and the detainees suing it over work at its immigration detention facility in Aurora, Colorado, told the federal court in Denver on November 2, 2026, that they had reached a settlement. The case is Menocal v. The GEO Group, Inc., No. 1:14-cv-02887, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, before Senior Judge John L. Kane. It was filed in October 2014.The announcement came at a status conference on the morning the jury trial was scheduled to start. According to the courtroom minutes, the parties jointly notified the court of the settlement, and Judge Kane vacated the trial and ordered the parties to update the court daily on the status of the agreement.
The joint notice of settlement filed the same day does not state an amount or any other terms. It says the settlement is subject to the court’s approval under Rule 23(e) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and that the plaintiffs will file a motion for preliminary approval, with the full settlement agreement attached, on or before December 11, 2026.
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Who Is in the Two Classes
Judge Kane certified two classes in 2017 — one for each claim — and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed both certifications on February 9, 2018. Under the definitions used in the October 2026 trial filings:- The forced labor class, which the court directed be called the “Cleaning Class” at trial, covers all detainees at the Aurora facility from December 23, 2004, through October 22, 2014.
- The unjust enrichment class, called the “Work-Program Class,” covers all detainees who worked at the facility under its Voluntary Work Program from October 22, 2011, through October 22, 2014.
The court filings reviewed for this article do not give a head count for either class. When the Tenth Circuit upheld certification in 2018, Prison Legal News reported that the two classes together totaled about 67,000 people. A firm number, and how class members would be identified, would be expected in the notice and distribution plan the parties have said they will file.
What the Lawsuit Alleged, and GEO’s Response
The suit challenged two practices at the facility, which GEO operates under a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The plaintiffs alleged that under a housing-unit sanitation policy, GEO required detainees to clean common areas without pay and threatened those who refused with solitary confinement, which they claimed violated the forced labor provisions of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. They also alleged that GEO was unjustly enriched under Colorado law by paying detainees $1 per day in the Voluntary Work Program for work such as food service, laundry and janitorial tasks needed to run the facility, rather than hiring staff.GEO denied liability on both claims. In the joint statement of the case filed before trial, GEO said it ran the facility based on its understanding of the standards needed for safety, security and sanitation, that its policy disfavored using segregation, and that detainees it did send to segregation had other aggravating conduct. It also said the federal government requires facilities like Aurora to offer the Voluntary Work Program, and that the program benefits detainees rather than GEO. None of the allegations has been proven, and no court has found GEO liable.
How the Case Reached Trial
The case spent most of its 12 years on pretrial fights. In 2022 the district court rejected GEO’s argument that it was shielded by Yearsley v. W. A. Ross Construction Co., a 1940 Supreme Court decision holding that a federal contractor cannot be held liable for conduct the government lawfully authorized and directed. The court found that nothing in GEO’s contract with ICE instructed it to adopt the challenged work rules. GEO appealed immediately, and the Tenth Circuit dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction.The Supreme Court affirmed on February 25, 2026, in GEO Group, Inc. v. Menocal. Writing for the Court, Justice Elena Kagan said Yearsley gives contractors a possible defense to liability, not an immunity from being sued, so a pretrial order rejecting it can be reviewed after a final judgment and cannot be appealed right away. Justice Clarence Thomas joined parts of the opinion and wrote separately, and Justice Samuel Alito concurred in the judgment, so no justice dissented from the result. The decision addressed only when GEO could appeal; it did not decide whether GEO’s policies were lawful.
GEO continued to seek appellate review in the months that followed. In August 2026, Judge Kane ruled that a new GEO notice of appeal over its qualified immunity motion did not stop the case from moving forward, finding the appeal frivolous, and in late October GEO asked the Tenth Circuit to halt the jury trial, Colorado Politics reported. The settlement was announced days later.
What Happens Next
Under the joint notice, the plaintiffs are to file their preliminary approval motion by December 11, 2026. That filing is expected to make the settlement agreement public for the first time, along with a proposed notice to class members and a plan for distributing the money.If Judge Kane grants preliminary approval, class members are to be notified of the terms and of how payments would be distributed, and the court would then hold a hearing to decide whether to grant final approval. Many class members were detained more than a decade ago and may have since left the United States; how notice reaches them is one of the details the plan is expected to address.
Until the agreement is filed, there is no claim form, no settlement website and no deadline.
Questions
Is there a claim form for the GEO Group Aurora detainee settlement?
There is no claim form yet. The parties have announced only that they reached an agreement. Class counsel told the court they will file a motion for preliminary approval, with the full settlement agreement and a proposed notice and distribution plan, on or before December 11, 2026. If the court grants preliminary approval, class members are to be notified of the terms and of how the money would be distributed.
Who is in the Menocal v. GEO Group classes?
The court certified two classes in 2017. The forced labor class, called the Cleaning Class at trial, covers detainees held at GEO’s Aurora, Colorado, facility from December 23, 2004, through October 22, 2014. The unjust enrichment class, called the Work-Program Class, covers detainees who worked at the facility under its Voluntary Work Program from October 22, 2011, through October 22, 2014. Whether the settlement treats both classes the same way will not be known until the agreement is filed.
How much is the GEO Group settlement worth?
The amount has not been disclosed. The joint notice of settlement filed November 2, 2026, does not state a dollar figure, and the parties said the full agreement will be filed publicly with the preliminary approval motion.
What did the Supreme Court decide in GEO Group v. Menocal?
On February 25, 2026, the Supreme Court held that GEO could not immediately appeal the trial court’s refusal to dismiss the case under the Yearsley doctrine, which can shield federal contractors carrying out work the government authorized and directed. The Court said Yearsley is a defense to liability rather than an immunity from suit, so review had to wait for a final judgment. No justice dissented from the judgment. The ruling did not decide whether GEO’s policies were lawful.
Did GEO Group admit wrongdoing?
No court has found GEO liable, and the joint notice of settlement contains no admission. Before trial GEO denied that it was liable for forced labor or that it was unjustly enriched, arguing that the federal government requires facilities like Aurora to offer the voluntary work program and that its cleaning rules were based on standards for safety and sanitation.
Sources
- Joint Notice of Settlement and Proposed Deadline for Filing Motion for Preliminary Approval (ECF No. 630, Nov. 2, 2026)
- Courtroom Minutes, Status Conference (ECF No. 629, Nov. 2, 2026)
- Joint Jury Instructions and Proposed Verdict Forms (ECF No. 602, Oct. 23, 2026)
- Order on Pretrial Motions (ECF No. 583, Oct. 20, 2026)
- Order on Continuing Jurisdiction (ECF No. 541, Aug. 27, 2026)
- Supreme Court of the United States, GEO Group, Inc. v. Menocal, No. 24-758 (Feb. 25, 2026)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, Menocal v. GEO Group, No. 17-1125 (Feb. 9, 2018)
- Prison Legal News — Tenth Circuit Upholds Class Certification in Immigration Detainees’ Forced Labor Suit (Apr. 16, 2018)
- Colorado Politics — GEO Group Asks 10th Circuit to Halt Jury Trial in 12-Year-Old Lawsuit (Oct. 27, 2026)
OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news and information site, not a law firm. This article is general information about the Menocal v. The GEO Group, Inc. class action. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
