SCRAM Systems Class Action Lawsuit: Ankle Monitors Linked to Serious Injuries

Case Overview: A class action lawsuit claims SCRAM ankle monitors are defectively designed and cause serious injuries, including infections and lasting damage.

Consumers Affected: U.S. residents required to wear SCRAM ankle monitors who suffered injuries.

Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

SCRAM continuous alcohol monitoring ankle bracelets are unsafe for users and cause serious injuries, which have sent some to hospital via ambulance, a new lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit argues the monitors are defectively designed, unreasonably dangerous, and sold without adequate warnings. Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc., the lawsuit argues, has been negligent in their making, marketing, and sale of the devices.

Plaintiff Hospitalized After Wearing SCRAM Ankle Monitor

The case was brought by Ohio resident David Portis, who was hospitalized in November 2023 after wearing a SCRAM monitor. 

According to the complaint, Portis developed acute chronic pressure injuries where the bracelet rubbed against his skin. Doctors warned him that continued use could cause systemic infection and permanent damage.

As a result of his injuries, Portis had to take time off work and now faces ongoing pain, medical expenses, and emotional distress, the lawsuit states. Before wearing the device, he reportedly had no issues with his legs or skin. The lawsuit claims his injuries were directly caused by the device’s unsafe design and prolonged contact with the skin.

Lawsuit Alleges Unsafe Design and Failure to Warn

SCRAM monitors are marketed as the world’s most widely used transdermal alcohol testing system, sampling perspiration every 30 minutes to detect alcohol consumption. But the lawsuit argues the product is not fit for safe, extended wear.

According to the filing, Alcohol Monitoring Systems breached its duty to ensure the devices were reasonably safe for their intended use. The monitors allegedly reached consumers unchanged from how they were sold, despite posing foreseeable risks of pressure injuries and infections. 

The complaint further claims the company knew or should have known about these dangers but failed to provide sufficient warnings or redesign the product. The monitors are described as unreasonably unsafe compared with alternatives, and the risks of skin injury, infections, and long-term damage are said to outweigh any benefit.

Similar Complaints Filed Over Ankle Monitor Injuries

This is not the first time ankle monitors have come under legal fire. A South Carolina man filed a similar case in 2023 after developing rashes and infections from a SCRAM device. 

Joseph Terrell said in his lawsuit that the “monitor caused a deep open wound” to the outside of his ankle and “a severe rash” to the inside of the ankle. His diagnosis was cellulitis/dermatitis and a bacterial infection.

In Colorado, another lawsuit alleges a man was hospitalized for 11 days with a severe bacterial infection after his monitor was strapped on too tightly. He claims employees ignored his pleas to adjust the device until the wound became visibly infected.

In the SCRAM ankle monitor class action lawsuit, Portis hopes to represent all U.S. residents who were required to wear SCRAM monitors and suffered injuries. The lawsuit accuses Alcohol Monitoring Systems of negligence, failure to warn, and strict liability for design defects. 

He is seeking damages for medical costs, lost income, and emotional harm, as well as injunctive relief to prevent future injuries and fees, costs, and interest.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Portis v. Alcohol Monitoring Systems, Inc., d/b/a SCRAM Systems
• Case Number: 1:25-cv-02697-NYW 
• Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado 

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

• Paul J. Doolittle (Poulin | Willey |Anastopoulo LLC)

Have you or someone you know ever worn a SCRAM ankle monitor? What was your experience with comfort and safety? Share your story below.