JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Missouri Department of Corrections alleging inmates did not receive proper hepatitis C treatment.

The ACLU and the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center in St. Louis filed the federal lawsuit for the inmates Thursday.
Inmates in the lawsuit claim they didn’t receive treatment for hepatitis C, which can cause liver damage. The lawsuit says that’s discriminatory and unconstitutional.

A spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office says that office has not yet received the lawsuit.

The lawsuit cites a survey published by Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Project HOPE. The survey says Missouri’s Corrections Department in January 2015 reported treating .11 percent of inmates with the illness.