Record-Setting $8.3M Wrongful Death Settlement In Case Of Santa Rita Jail Beating Includes Sweeping Reforms
OAKLAND (KPIX 5) -- Prosecutors and defense attorneys have just settled the largest wrongful death civil rights settlement in California history and it will change the way inmates with addictions are treated in prisons across the country.
Witnesses were just beginning to take the stand in the case of Martin Harrison – then suddenly a deal was struck for $8.3 million dollars.
His son, Martin Jr., was in the courtroom.
"He wasn't a bad person, he made one mistake and it cost him his life, you know," he said crying.
Harrison's children hope the settlement will keep other inmates safer. That was not the case for their father.
In 2010, their dad was held at Santa Rita Jail on a DUI charge. He went into alcohol withdrawal, and after an altercation with deputies, he died.
Attorney Julia Sherwin said Harrison said an LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) had decided he was not at risk of alcohol withdrawal despite the fact that he told her, "I drink every day."
Alameda County and Corizon Correction Healthcare agreed to pay Harrison's 4 adult children $8.3 million.
They also agreed to sweeping reforms: registered nurses, not lesser-trained LVNs must handle initial evaluations - as required by law.
Deputies beat and used a Taser on Harrison. The sheriff said Harrison attacked deputies with a broken food tray and tried to take the device. He said the deputies did the best they could.
Nonetheless, this settlement mandates 'Withdrawal Training' for officers every two years.
Harrison's daughter Tiffany hopes her father didn't die in vain. "In the end I really hope what happened to our dad has a bigger meaning and that he's just not another person who lost his life in the system."
Corizon operates in several states, so this case could have a ripple effect across the country.
The attorneys say this will likely cost taxpayers more up front to pay for inmate medical care, but will hopefully prevent cases like this and huge payouts.
