A woman claims her schizophrenic brother was not given proper medical treatment after he was found unresponsive in his prison cell while on suicide watch.
Yolanda Jackson, as administrator of the estate of Kevin Curtis, filed the complaint Sept. 4 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Wexford Health Sources Inc., Mental Health Services Director Eva Leven, physician Mohammed Siddiqui, healthcare unit administrator Gail Walls, and several correctional officers.
According to the complaint, Curtis, 31, was incarcerated at Menard Correctional Center since March 2018 and suffered from schizophrenia, meaning he was at higher risk of suicide and self-harm. The suit states that prior to his incarceration, Curtis earned a scholarship to William Penn University, where he nearly completed his bachelor’s degree.
Jackson claims mental health providers at the correctional center became concerned in the days before his death that he might harm himself and ordered him to be placed on a “crisis watch” on Aug. 31, 2018. Prisoners on crisis watch are monitored every ten minutes and have all of their belongings removed, the suit states.
“The only materials permitted in Kevin’s cell were the ‘crisis’ smock he was given to wear, a crisis blanket and mattress, and finger foods,” the suit states. “These restrictions were imposed because mental health providers were concerned that Kevin would use any other items to harm himself.”
Jackson claims that on Sept. 5, 2018, a guard conducting a wellness check found Curtis in a catatonic state and unresponsive in his cell at 8:30 a.m. Curtis was taken to the healthcare unit at the prison, but Jackson claims his condition was not treated as an emergency. The defendants allegedly ordered testing for syphilis.
“They did this even though, as one concerned healthcare administrator pointed out, syphilis was improbable because Kevin had already tested negative for syphilis not long before. Ignoring this administrator’s warnings and strong recommendation to send Kevin to the hospital, Defendants sent Kevin back to his cell with no further effort to evaluate or treat him,” the suit states.
Jackson claims Wexford staff obtained a blood and urine sample from Curtis and directed correctional officers to return him to his cell in a wheelchair.
Menard Treatment Unit Administrator Lisa Goldman allegedly raised concerns that Curtis’ medical distress was not a result of syphilis and urged the defendants to transport the decedent to a hospital.
Jackson claims the guards did not perform verbal checks after Curtis was returned to his cell. She also alleges the guards performing the crisis watch checks left their posts to complete other tasks in the prison.
“Several missed checks later, Kevin was found dead in his cell,” the suit states. “An autopsy assessed that it was probably that he died of intoxication from unknown substances.”
Jackson alleges that attempts to resuscitate Curtis were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at 6:30 p.m.
Jackson seeks an unspecified judgment in her favor, plus punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, and all other relief the court deems just.
She is represented by Sarah Grady of Loevy & Loevy in Chicago.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois case number 3:20-cv-900