$1.7 Million to be Paid to Family for a Jail Suicide at Twin Towers Jail in Los Angeles, California
A 48-year-old inmate at Twin Towers Jail in Los Angeles, California, allegedly committed suicide by jumping from a second-level railing in November 2014. This week a $1.7 million payment to the man’s daughters was approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
The inmate was Eric Loberg, and he had been diagnosed as a schizophrenic. The complaint in the lawsuit claims that 11 days before Loberg’s death, he had been arrested rather than returned to a psychiatric facility he had escaped from. He was detained on previous charges that had not been resolved.
The family of Loberg claims that he should have been returned to the mental health facility instead of being taken to jail. A jail psychiatrist had made a judgment that Loberg was a low risk for suicide and that he was not depressed, delusional, or anxious. The psychiatrist did, however, prescribe an antipsychotic medication, risperidone. Loberg was placed under a moderate level of observation. A report at the jail showed that Loberg was only 20% compliant with regards to taking the prescription drug.
At the time of Loberg’s death, there was no policy requiring the mental health staff to be alerted if a patient refused medications.
The lawsuit against the county claimed that officials were deliberately indifferent in matters that contributed to Loberg’s jail suicide.
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