A federal lawsuit filed against a Mississippi county for the wrongful death of an insulin-dependent prisoner housed in the county jail has been settled for $2.75 million.
On September 24, 2014, the guy passed away in his cell at the George County Regional Correctional Facility after going for seven days without insulin. The 58-year-old former nurse of the George County prison is held responsible for his death and is currently serving a 15-year manslaughter term.
According to one of the attorneys who defended the inmate's estate, this situation resulted from a senseless and sad confluence of a lack of fundamental human compassion and regulations that made it impossible for those who wished to assist the guy to do so.
Even though the jail had insulin on hand to treat him, he passed away. At the time of his detention on September 17, 2014, his mother brought one batch of insulin to the jail, and a jailer from George County brought another quantity from the glove box of his car. The man pleaded for assistance several times while in jail as his illness worsened, but the nurse disregarded him and blamed his symptoms on methamphetamine withdrawal.
The victim's estate including his mother, and his children brought a wrongful death claim against George County, the nurse, and the city of Lucedale. Later, Lucedale's case was rejected by the judge.
The $4.3 million general fund budget for the county is more than halved by the settlement. On Monday, George County supervisors approved a motion approving the settlement sum. The county's insurance provider agreed to pay $250,000 of the total settlement amount and has already paid more than $500,000 in legal expenses.
The county was ordered by a federal judge in Gulfport to pay $1 million within 14 days of the May 31 decision and the remaining $1.75 million within 90 days of the settlement date. The ruling also requires George County representatives to apologize in writing to the victim's relatives.
According to the judge, the family went through eight agonizing years of civil and criminal litigation, as well as a baseless defamation lawsuit against the victim's mother.
The victim's family expressed gratitude for the public's interest in the issue but requested anonymity so that the victim's children may continue living their lives as normal teenagers. The family also expressed gratitude to their legal team, the previous district attorney, and the assistant district attorney for their effective handling of the criminal case. The family hopes that the ruling will encourage authorities across the country to make sure that prisoners get the right medical attention.
