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Florida Jail Pays Prisoner's Family $2.5 Million in Methadone Withdrawal Death
Loaded on July 15, 2004
published in Prison Legal News
July, 2004, page 20
On May 23, 2001, Karen Johnson, 43, literally died of medical neglect while being held prisoner in the Orange County Jail in Orlando, Florida.
Filed under:
Medical,
Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal,
Medical Neglect/Malpractice,
Drug Treatment/Rehab.
Location:
Florida.
In July, 2002 PLN reported how Johnson desperately pleaded with her captors to continue her methadone medication. She offered to pay for treatment with her insurance; …
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More from this issue:
- Abu Ghraib, USA, by Anne-Marie Cusac
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Washington DOC Fined $60,000 for Bogus Water Pollution Reports
- Thirty Three Years after Attica: Many more Blacks in prison, but not as guards, by Peter Wagner
- Is It Criminal to Be a Muslim Civilian or Military Prison Chaplain?
- Supreme Court Holds Guantanamo Detainees Can Challenge Detention
- Virginia Prison Drives Women to Depression and Suicide, by Gary Hunter
- California Agrees to Provide Kosher Prison Diet Program, by John E Dannenberg
- Tennessee Prison Audit Blasts DOC, CCA and CMS, by Michael Rigby
- Oklahoma Man Misidentified as Pedophile Awarded $3.7 Million, by Michael Rigby
- Overcrowding Forces Alabama Prisoners Into Private Prison Web, by Gary Hunter
- Arizona Prisoners Seize Tower; State Officials Point Fingers, by Michael Rigby
- BJS Looks at Probation, Parole in 2002
- Texas Jury Awards BOP Prisoner $4 Million for Rape by Guard, by Alex Coolman
- $3 Million in Settlements for Wrongful Illinois Convictions
- Record Number of "Lifers" Now in U.S. Prisons
- Florida Jail Pays Prisoner's Family $2.5 Million in Methadone Withdrawal Death
- BJS Finds Low Recidivism among Released Sex Offenders
- New York Prisoner Awarded $800,000 for Undiagnosed, Untreated Throat Cancer
- $1.5 Million Verdict in NYC Jail Medical Malpractice Death
- Arizona Prison Director Has Poor Track Record, by Michael Rigby
- Private Probation Companies Prove Corrupt in Tennessee, by Gary Hunter
- Controversy and Lawsuits Surround South Texas Private Prison Deals
- Warden Sentenced for Stealing Dali Painting From Rikers Island Jail
- California Class Action Lawsuit Targets Unauthorized Prison Phone Charges
- Court Vacates Connecticut Jury Award of $30,000 for Failure to Exhaust Administrative Remedies, by David Reutter
- Wisconsin Contract for Faith-Based Program Does Not Violate First Amendment, by Bob Williams
- Washington State Prison Continues To Pollute Local Environment Despite Repeated Citations, by John E Dannenberg
- Michigan Supreme Court Allows Seizure of Prisoner's Pension Despite ERISA
- Failure to Treat Transsexual for Self-Mutilation States Claim
- Section 1983 Complaint Dismissed as Mixed Petition, But Amendment Allowed
- Oklahoma "Civil Death" Statute Does Not Preclude Prisoner Tort Actions
- Counsel Appointed to Brief Questions of PLRA Total Exhaustion and Sandin Confinement Conditions for Atypicality
- No PLRA Fee Cap When Injunctive Relief Obtained, by John E Dannenberg
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- Qualified Immunity Test Hinges Upon SHU Sentence Imposed, Not SHU Time Served
- Oregon Trial in Prison Did Not Violate Constitution
- Interest on Legal Financial Obligations Not Dischargeable in Bankruptcy
- California Sex Offender Prison Classification Label Approved for Dismissed Charge, by John E Dannenberg
- No Qualified Immunity in Civil Commitment Phone Monitoring
- Prisoner Allowed to Amend Retaliation, Legal Mail Complaint
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- District of Columbia May Be Liable for Prisoner's Inadequate Medical Care
- Ninth Circuit Dismisses California's Motion To Exclude Female Prisoners From Medical Suit, by John E Dannenberg
- Florida Prisoner Awarded Costs in Successful Records Request Litigation, by David Reutter
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More from these topics:
- America’s Deadliest Jails: Tarrant County Edition, Nov. 1, 2025. Wrongful Death, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- PLN Publisher Wins Settlement Records from Centurion in Florida Prisoner’s Wrongful Death, Aug. 1, 2025. Centurion, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Records, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Public Records Act, HRDC Litigation.
- HRDC Wins $480,000 in Legal Fees from Centurion for Denied New Mexico Records, Aug. 1, 2025. Centurion, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Records, Misdiagnosis, Failure to Treat, Malpractice, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Public Records Act, HRDC Publications, HRDC Litigation.
- $2.6 Million Paid for Detoxing Washington Jail Detainee Allowed to Leap to His Death, Additional NaphCare Payout Undisclosed, Aug. 1, 2025. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death).
- $15 Million Settlement Reached in San Diego Jail Detainee’s Untreated Withdrawal Death, Aug. 1, 2025. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Arrest and Booking.
- $1.875 Million Partial Settlement for Colorado Detainee’s Death from Untreated Alcohol Withdrawal; Claims Against Wellpath Pending Bankruptcy, Aug. 1, 2025. Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Washington Jail Settles DOJ Allegations of ADA Noncompliance in Failure to Treat Opioid Use Disorder, July 15, 2025. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Americans with Disabilities Act, Drug Treatment/Rehab.
- Lawsuits Filed After Fatal Assault on Elderly Prisoner at Kentucky Jail, July 15, 2025. Classification, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $340,000 for Former Massachusetts Prisoner Whose Baby Was Stillborn, July 15, 2025. Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Children of Prisoners, Parent/Child Privilege.
- Nearly $2.6 Million Paid to Former Minnesota Jail Detainee for Injuries from Delayed Withdrawal Treatment, July 15, 2025. Medication, Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Deliberate Indifference.

