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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
- Sanctions Against Ohio Paralegal Firm Upheld
- 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
- Challenge to State Parole Revocations Must Be Brought Under § 2254
- 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
- Fifth Circuit Vacates $70,000 Award Against Texas Prison Officials, by Michael Rigby
- No Summary Judgment for Ohio Guards Who Used Excessive Force, Case Loses At Trial
- News in Brief
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More from these topics:
- Houston Jail Renews $38 Million Contract to Outsource Detainees to Private Lockups, April 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Failure to Treat, Overcrowding, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026. Naphcare, Qualified Immunity, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Deliberate Indifference.
- Survey of Arkansas Jails Reveals Strained, Costly Health Care System, April 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- Watchdog Report Finds More than 1,500 Waiting for Specialty Care at Connecticut Prisons, April 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Staffing, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- Ninth Circuit Affirms $3.84 Million Jury Verdict in Death of San Bernardino Jail Detainee from Acute Alcohol Withdrawal, March 1, 2026. Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, Monell Liability, Deliberate Indifference.
- Jury Awards Over $9.5 Million for Oklahoma Jail Death, March 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, Monell Liability, Deliberate Indifference.
- Detainee Death from Kidney Infection Highlights Broken Policy in Washington State, March 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Deliberate Indifference.
- Texas State Jails Fail: Institutions Conceived as Safe Spots for Rehabilitation After Minor Drug Convictions Now Flooded With Drugs and Major Felons, March 1, 2026. Drug Overdose, Staffing, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Good Time, Drug Treatment/Rehab.
- Medical Audit at New Mexico Jail Once Again Finds Poor Level of Healthcare, March 1, 2026. Medication, Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Contagious Disease -- Misc., Staffing.

