Jail Death Cases: A Major New Court Ruling

The attorneys at Budge & Heipt regularly monitor important new court rulings that may impact jail death cases.  On August 15, 2016, the federal appeals court that covers most of the Western United States issued an important new decision that may significantly benefit those who have lost loved ones who have died in jail.  The […]

Seattle Times Reports on Jail Death Lawsuit

The Seattle Times has reported on a case involving the death of Matthew Smith in the Pierce County Jail in Tacoma, Washington. Budge & Heipt, co-counsel for the parents of the deceased man, filed the case against Naphcare, Inc., which is the company responsible for providing medical care to the jail’s inmates. From the Seattle […]

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Agencies Investigating Jail Death

From:  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (July 4, 2016): By Cara Lombardo, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Two months after a Milwaukee County Jail inmate was found unresponsive in his cell, his family still doesn’t know how he died. Terrill Thomas was arrested April 15 after shooting a man in the chest and later firing two shots in […]

Inmate Against Inmate Assaults: Proving Liability for Failure to Protect

Jails are can be dangerous places.  Unfortunately, inmate-against-inmate assaults (including sexual assaults) do occur.  Some assaults result in extremely serious injuries, or even death.  When such assaults occur, jail officials can face legal liability under the Constitution for failing to prevent them, but only in limited circumstances. The Supreme Court has held that jail officials […]

When Someone You Love Dies in Police Custody and They Blame “Excited Delirium”

From: The Influence Julie Cobio Firkins prayed and then walked into a room to watch her 33-year-old husband die. “The video that you’re going to see is very sad,” she remembers the officer warning her—twice—before playing footage from a police bodycam. But as the tape rolled, she had a different thought: “It was brutal, not […]

Lawsuit: Fremont County jail withheld medicine, caused inmate’s death

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office also withheld crucial information on inmate’s death, a lawsuit says A Fremont County jail inmate suffered psychotic delusions and physical abuse by deputies before being found naked and dead on his cell floor in April 2014, according to a federal lawsuit. John Patrick Walter’s death is the fault of Fremont […]

Lawsuit alleges Fremont County jail inmate who died in custody was denied prescription meds

A Fremont County jail inmate died naked on the floor of his cell after he was deprived of a prescription medication and beaten by guards during bouts of withdrawal-related psychosis, a lawsuit alleges. John Patrick Walter, 53, had nine broken ribs and other injuries when Fremont County sheriff’s deputies found him unresponsive while making their […]

Jail Death Attorneys File $10 Million Wrongful Death Claim Against King County Jail

Jail death attorneys, Budge & Heipt, have filed a $10 million claim against the King County Jail in Seattle for the wrongful death of a pretrial detainee. The detainee, Nathan Zambryski, died at the jail in May 2015 from complications relating to alcohol withdrawal. Budge & Heipt, the lawyers for the estate of Mr. Zambryski, […]

Prison violated rules in inmate death

Inmate Death in Monroe, Washington: MONROE — When detectives arrived to investigate a vicious assault at the Monroe Correctional Center in May, they expected to examine the crime scene. They couldn’t. There wasn’t one. When a Monroe Police Department detective inquired about the dearth of physical evidence, the lieutenant on duty inside the Special Offenders […]

If you or a loved one has been a victim of serious injury and/or death at the hands of police or in jail or prison, tell us about your case.