Family files federal lawsuit, says care in Louisiana jail led to death of man in mental health crisis
A woman filed a federal lawsuit against the city-parish of East Baton Rouge Parish, Sheriff Sid Gautreax, EBR Parish Prison Warden Dennis Grimes and several others after a loved one died in the par… A federal lawsuit has been filed by the family of Kaddarrius Cage, a man who died in a Louisiana jail during a schizophrenic episode. The suit alleges that the city-parish of East Baton Rouge Parish, Sheriff Sid Gautreax, EBR Prison Warden Dennis Grimes, and several others failed to provide proper healthcare or Cage's necessary medications during his time in jail. Cage was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder; he was also on five medications to manage his health issues. The lawsuit is seeking a jury verdict on damages, attorney fees, costs, and other relief.
ที่ตีพิมพ์ : 10 เดือนที่แล้ว โดย Bonnie Bolden ใน Health
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A woman filed a federal lawsuit against the city-parish of East Baton Rouge Parish, Sheriff Sid Gautreax, EBR Parish Prison Warden Dennis Grimes, and several others after a loved one died in the parish jail last year.
According to a suit recently filed in the Louisiana Middle District, Kaddarrius Cage died on May 30, 2023, after being jailed during a schizophrenic episode.
Kenyetta Richard filed the suit on behalf of her minor child, who she shared with Cage. She alleges the prison didn’t provide proper healthcare or Cage’s necessary medications, leading to his suicide.
It was his first time in jail.
According to the suit, Cage was diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. He reportedly had visual and auditory hallucinations, meaning he saw and heard voices and things that weren’t real.
Cage was suffering from a mental health breakdown when he attacked his stepfather on May 19, 2023. The suit said he’d hallucinated that the man had attempted to molest him multiple times that day. The stepfather was put in the hospital with a head wound.
EBR deputies had previously responded to the home where Cage lived with his mother and stepfather for previous schizophrenic or manic episodes, according to the suit. He would be transferred to mental health facilities.
This time, however, Cage was arrested on a charge of attempted second-degree murder and was booked into the parish prison.
The suit states that Cage was placed into protective custody under orders, meaning deputies knew there was an immediate need to prevent him from harming himself or others.
The mother and stepfather, according to the suit, wanted to have Cage committed via a permanent physician emergency certificate.
The suit alleges that EBRSO documentation shows that Cage was actively hallucinating at the time of his arrest and his statement couldn’t be verified by others in the house at the time of the attack. He could not say when he received a large bump on his head.
A deputy later reportedly told Cage’s mother, Kimberly Cage, he was on suicide watch.
During intake, per the suit, Cage reportedly informed prison staff of his diagnoses and medications and told them he was actively hallucinating. He also told them he’d been sexually abused recently.
When he was admitted into the prison, he was reportedly on five medications to manage his health issues.
He was reportedly placed on the N line with other mentally ill and suicidal inmates and those in solitary confinement, according to the court document.
During the 12 days he was in the prison, he did not receive medical care or his meds. He repeatedly told staff about his mental health needs, which was documented. At one point, a social worker reportedly deleted an appointment for him from the system.
His mother called the sheriff’s office daily during that time, telling them he needed his medications, which he never received. She was turned away from the prison on May 20 with his meds.
She wasn’t allowed to talk with him during his time behind bars.
According to the lawsuit, an appointment with a psychiatrist was scheduled for June 1, 2023.
Cage committed suicide the day before it could happen.
According to the lawsuit, attorneys representing EBRSO have said Cage was not on suicide watch or mental health observation at the time of his death.
The lawsuit states an anti-suicide smock and blanket were in Cage’s cell at the time of his death. He used a blue shirt as a rope.
Grimes reportedly testified in another lawsuit about a jailhouse suicide (Zavala v. City of Baton Rouge) that he knew cell bars could be used to anchor ligature for a suicide attempt.
In the same suit, Grimes reportedly said the mentally ill “should not come to the prison because I feel there is not enough staff to accommodate those people. The prison was not designed or equipped to handle those individuals.”
Richard is asking for a jury trial and “reasonable compensatory and punitive damages, attorney’s fees, interest on attorney’s fees, costs, and judicial interest, and any other relief that Equity and Justice demand.”
หัวข้อ: Lawsuits, Social Issues