TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Nov 20, 2024

The parents of a man who died in the Hamilton County Jail after a suspected drunk driving violation have filed a wrongful death suit against the sheriff's office and its health care team, alleging deliberate indifference and inadequate care. The lawsuit seeks $4.5 million in damages from the county over the death of their son, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. A jail log allegedly indicates that staff were aware of the man's deteriorating condition long before he was found unresponsive on a shower floor. He was later sent to the hospital and pronounced dead just over an hour later. According to the newspaper, the jail has faced multiple allegations of inadequate medical care, inhumane living conditions and inmate-on-inmate violence, with at least 16 in-custody deaths since the sheriff's office took control of the jail in 2020.