In a groundbreaking case against Stanislaus County and its private, for-profit jail medical provider, Haddad & Sherwin LLP obtained an $11.5 million settlement for a former inmate who walked into the jail able-bodied, and was carried out on a stretcher — paralyzed from the neck down.
Our client, who wishes his name to remain private, was soon to be released from incarceration for his non-violent crimes and get back to his family. He had an adverse reaction to drugs he took to fuel his addiction while in jail. He properly informed medical staff, who indifferently put him on observation rather than have him taken to a hospital as he needed.
After more than a day with highly elevated vital signs and psychosis, jail deputies found him on the ground, injured in his single-inmate cell. When he could not walk, a private jail nurse authorized deputies to drag him to a safety cell with no cervical precautions. At that time, he had severe cervical (neck) injuries and a fractured skull, of unknown origin.
Jail video captured nurses and deputies callously leaving him naked, face down, on a cement floor for six hours while he barely moved. By the time he was finally taken to a hospital, it was too late — he had suffered permanent injuries rendering him quadriplegic, and needing life-long care.
Now, he is in recovery, lives at home with his mother, and is a devoted father to his young son. This settlement from the responsible parties will allow him to receive the professional care he needs, without government assistance.
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