In a Wrongful Death Settlement, the Family of a Former Prisoner Receives $7 Million
A payout of $7 million was approved by the Board of Supervisors in Maricopa County in Arizona for payment to the family of a prisoner who died days after an altercation with law enforcement officers at a Maricopa County jail on December 15, 2011. The family claims that the 44-year-old was punched in his face and hit with an electronic weapon near his heart, as he cried out in pain. Soon after the scuffle, which has been described as a “dog pile” of officers on the prisoner, the prisoner was transported to a local hospital. For four days he was on life support and then he died. Although the prisoner was at the hospital, it was a custodial death.
The Board of Supervisors made a statement about the multi-million-dollar settlement. They said it is their hope that the settlement assists the family of the deceased in moving forward. They also said the jail system is complex, and the county will continue to try to improve it.
The lawsuit that the family filed claims that their loved one did not receive treatment for his mental illness at the jail. When an employee of Correctional Health Services screened the prisoner previously, he said the prisoner appeared to be psychotic.
The Maricopa Medical Examiner’s Office said the manner of the prisoner’s death was listed as “undetermined.” The autopsy showed that death was caused by complications of cardiac arrest in the setting of numerous medical problems, acute psychosis, and being subdued by law enforcement.
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