Current:Home > Markets$4M settlement reached with family of man who died in bed bug-infested jail cell -Wealth Nexus Pro
$4M settlement reached with family of man who died in bed bug-infested jail cell
View
Date:2025-04-11 14:17:11
Officials in Fulton County, Georgia, agreed to a $4 million settlement with the family of a man who died in a bed bug-infested jail cell last year.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted 6-0 to approve the $4 million settlement related to LaShawn Thompson during a meeting on Wednesday, a Fulton County spokesperson confirmed.
Thompson, 35, died in the Fulton County Jail on Sept. 13, 2022. Attorneys for his family claimed Thompson was "eaten alive by bed bugs."
MORE: Georgia man found dead in bed bug-infested jail cell died of 'severe neglect': Independent autopsy
The family and their legal team are not making a statement on the settlement, an attorney for the family, Michael Harper, told ABC News.
"The Fulton County Commissioners' vote speaks for itself," Harper said in an email.
Thompson was arrested on June 12, 2022, for simple battery against police officials, according to jail records. Photos of him covered with bed bugs and images of his filthy cell went viral on social media in the wake of this death, leading to widespread outrage.
An autopsy released by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office in January lists Thompson's cause of death as "undetermined."
An independent autopsy commissioned by Thompson’s family in May, and obtained by ABC News, lists "dehydration, malnutrition, severe body insect infestation" as well as "untreated decompensated schizophrenia" as the conditions that led to Thompson's death.
MORE: DOJ launches probe into Georgia's Fulton County jails amid allegations of inmate abuse, neglect
Fulton County Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat told ABC News in a statement in May that "it was painfully clear there were a number of failures that led to Mr. Thompson's tragic death" and that there have been "sweeping changes" at the jail since.
Multiple employees of the Fulton County Jail also resigned following Thompson's death.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced last month it has launched a civil investigation into the Fulton County jail system following a series of reports of inmate abuse and neglect, including the death of Thompson.
Kristen Clarke, the DOJ's Civil Rights Division head, said investigators will examine living conditions in the jail, inmates' access to medical and mental health care services and allegations of use of excessive force by staff.
Fulton County officials and the Fulton County Sheriff's Office said they will be cooperating fully with the investigation.
ABC News' Deena Zaru, Tesfaye Negussie and Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.
veryGood! (3683)
Related
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- The mysteries of Johannes Vermeer
- Biden admin mulling nationwide TikTok ban if Chinese parent company doesn't divest
- How Riley Keough's Husband Ben Smith-Petersen Played a Role in Daisy Jones and The Six
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Google suspends Chinese app Pinduoduo from Play store after malware is found
- Trump White House failed to report 117 foreign gifts and some are missing, House Democrats say
- Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $280 Crossbody Bag for Just $65
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Putin over Russia's alleged war crimes in Ukraine
Ranking
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- As Congress eyes a TikTok ban, what could happen to the social media platform?
- Proof Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin Are Still Hollywood's Most Amicable Exes
- American billionaire Rocco Commisso's journey to owning an Italian soccer team
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Iraq war trauma still fresh, but 20 years after the U.S.-led invasion, for many there's at least hope
- Finland offering free trips after being named world's happiest country six years in a row
- Where You’ve Seen the Cast of Daisy Jones & the Six Before
Recommendation
Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
Berlin holds funeral for human bone fragments held by the Nazis to grant peace to all the victims
Hoda Kotb Returns to Today After 3-Year-Old Daughter Hope Is Discharged From Hospital
More than 2,000 Afghans still arbitrarily detained in UAE camp exactly like a prison, rights group says
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
Below Deck Preview Teases an Awkward Love Triangle Between Ben, Camille and New Stew Leigh-Ann
Today's Craig Melvin Teases Return of Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie Amid Absences
Vanderpump Rules' Tom Sandoval Breaks Silence on Ariana Madix Split