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Articles in Verdict1

$1.2 Million Paid by St. Louis County for Jail Detainee’s Death from Untreated Ulcer

by David M. Reutter

On September 8, 2022, the federal court for the Eastern District of Missouri approved a settlement under which St. Louis County agreed to pay $1.2 million to resolve claims that a state prisoner detained in the county jail died due to denied medical care.

From his ...

$3,500 Settlement in Medical-Care Claim Arrives Too Late for Illinois Prisoner Felled by COVID-19

by David M. Reutter

On November 21, 2021, a federal lawsuit filed by an Illinois prisoner against officials with the state Department of Corrections (DOC) was dismissed, after the state agreed to pay $3,500 to settle his claims that staff’s persistent refusal to provide proper medical care for an arm ...

$3.75 Million Settlement for Estate of Washington Prisoner Who Died From Untreated Breast Cancer

by David M. Reutter

On February 17, 2022, the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) stipulated to a $3.75 million judgment in state court to settle all claims — including costs and attorney’s fees — made by the estate of a prisoner who died in 2019 from breast cancer. Though DOC’s ...

After Summary Judgment Denied, California Jail Officials Pay $55,000 for Breaking Detainee’s Arm

by Mark Wilson

On July 27, 2021, just 25 days after a federal court in California denied summary judgment to San Mateo County Jail guards on a detainee’s excessive force claims, county officials quickly paid him $55,000 for breaking his arm.

When the detainee, Oscar Tapia-Carmona, was booked into the ...

$7 Million Paid to California Detainee Left Quadriplegic Due to Jail Guards’ Alleged Negligence

by Matt Clarke

On February 11, 2022, California’s Santa Clara County paid $7 million to settle its part of a lawsuit brought by a former detainee who suffered a spinal injury in his cell at the county’s Elmwood Correctional Center, where responding guards and ambulance staff were allegedly so negligent ...

Ohio County Pays $4 Million To Settle Claim Over Death of Jail Detainee

by Matt Clarke

On December 9, 2021, an agreement was reached by Richland County, Ohio, paying $4 million to settle claims in a suit that was about to be brought by the family of Alexander Jose Rios, a pretrial detainee who died at the county jail following an altercation with ...

$15,150 Paid by Illinois for Neglect and Harassment of Three State Prisoners

by David Reutter

Mistreatment of three prisoners held by the Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC) cost the state over $15,000 to settle their claims in separate agreements completed during 2021.

On August 12, 2021, a $5,000 payment was approved for prisoner Paul Lee, who accused guards at Pontiac Correctional Center ...

Tenth Circuit Revives Suit Against Oklahoma Jail for Medical Neglect Leading To Detainee’s Death

by David M. Reutter

In a lawsuit alleging officials at Oklahoma’s Carter County Jail (CCJ) failed to provide any medical attention in the days leading up to a pretrial detainee’s death, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit overruled a lower court’s grant of qualified immunity (QI) to ...

$1.1 Million Settlement Paid by Michigan County to Estate of Detainee Who Committed Suicide at Jail

by David M. Reutter

On October 7, 2021, the Board of Commissioners of Michigan’s Macomb County agreed to pay $1 million to settle claims by survivors of a detainee who hanged himself at the county jail in 2017. The jail’s privately contracted medical provider, Correct Care Solutions (CCS), now known ...

$7,500 Settlement Reached for Assault in California Jail

by David M. Reutter

On June 29, 2021, a lawsuit against California’s San Joaquin County was dismissed by a former detainee at the county jail, after he agreed to accept $7,500 to settle his claim that guards yanked him off the toilet in his cell and beat him without provocation. ...