Federal Court Denies Turn Key Health Request to Dismiss Claims in Jail Death Lawsuit

A federal court has denied Turn Key Health’s request to dismiss claims in a lawsuit over the death of 24-year-old D’Vonte Valentine, who died in the Smith County Jail after allegedly being denied essential medication. Valentine suffered from a rare condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which required daily steroid treatment. According to the lawsuit, jail medical staff placed his medication in a property locker instead of administering it, leading to his rapid decline and death within two weeks of incarceration.

Civil rights attorney Dean Malone, representing Valentine’s family, said, “Instead of someone contacting the pharmacy or a doctor about the steroids, the steroids went into a locker with his other property, and he lasted just a matter of days.” The court ruled that the allegations, if proven, indicate that Turn Key Health violated Valentine’s constitutional rights as a pretrial detainee. The case will now proceed to trial, seeking accountability for alleged medical neglect in Texas jails.

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