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Washington DOC Settles MRSA Death Claim for $125,000
The Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) has agreed to pay $125,000 to the family of a prisoner who died from pneumonia caused by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
On March 27, 2008, Jeremy Swaser was given a check-up by medical staff at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. He had …
On March 27, 2008, Jeremy Swaser was given a check-up by medical staff at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. He had …
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More from this issue:
- Everything Revolves Around Overcrowding: The State of California’s Prisons, by Donald Specter
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Wheelchair-bound Texas Escapee Produces Pistol, Commandeers Transport Van, by Matthew Clarke
- U.S. Supreme Court: Counsel Must Advise Immigrant Defendants of Deportation Risks
- Controversy Over Texas Attorneys Charging Questionable Fees in Wrongful Conviction Cases, by Matthew Clarke
- $4.3 Million Award in Preventable Death of Cook County Pretrial Detainee, by David Reutter
- Incomplete DNA Databases Result in Tragic Consequences, by Justin Miller
- Texas Youth Commission Pays $625,000 to Settle Abuse Suit, by Gary Hunter
- Exorbitant Prisoner Phone Rates Pass New York Constitutional Scrutiny, by David Reutter
- Obama’s 2011 Budget Calls for More Prisons, More Guards, by Brandon Sample
- Aryan Warriors Prison Gang Prosecuted in Nevada, by Gary Hunter
- $500,000 Settlement in Maryland Prisoner’s Death from Pepper Spraying, by David Reutter
- Prisoner’s Homicide at Maryland Jail Not Prosecuted, by Gary Hunter
- DOJ Investigation into New York Jail Finds Unconstitutional Conditions, by Justin Miller
- California Official Resigns from State Post, Hired by Federal Receiver
- U.S. State Prison Population Declines for First Time in a Decade, by Justin Miller
- Washington DOC Pays $3,275,000 to Family of Deputy Killed by Former Prisoner
- New Jersey’s Riverfront Prison Demolished, by Justin Miller
- “Back to School” is a Guide to Success Following Release from Prison, by Gary Hunter
- ICE Policies and U.S. Deportation Laws Violate Human Rights, by Gary Hunter
- U.S. Department of Justice Releases 2008 Capital Punishment Statistics, by Matthew Clarke
- Problems Persist at Privately-Operated Rhode Island Jail, by Justin Miller
- North Carolina Innocence Commission Verifies Wrongful Conviction, by Matthew Clarke
- Maricopa County Throws Sheriff Arpaio Under Improperly Purchased Bus
- Wisconsin: Taycheedah Lawsuit Set for Trial, by Michael Brodheim
- California Prison Health Care System Plagued by Understaffing, Overtime, by Michael Brodheim
- $140,000 Settlement in Washington Jail Detainee’s Suicide
- California: Audit Finds CDCR Overpaid Employees Who Supervise Prisoner-Workers, by Michael Brodheim
- Prosecutorial Misconduct Case Pending Before Supreme Court Settles for $12 Million, by Brandon Sample
- New Picture on Violence in Federal Prisons, by Brandon Sample
- Maricopa County Detention Officer Held in Contempt for Taking Document from Defense Counsel’s File, by Matthew Clarke
- Released Prisoners More Likely to Die, by Brandon Sample
- Maryland Prison Guards Busted for Helping Gang Members, by Gary Hunter
- Louisiana Judge, Attorneys Plead Guilty to Bribery Charges, by Michael Brodheim
- New York City Jail Settles Excessive Force Suit for $62,001
- Physician Assisted in Botched Execution Attempt in Ohio, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit: Catholic Prisoner’s Religious Diet Lawsuit Remanded, by David Reutter
- Whole Foods Farms out Fish Farming to Colorado Prisoners, by Justin Miller
- SORNA Challenges Produce Mixed Results; Supreme Court Weighs In, by Brandon Sample
- Washington Supreme Court Holds No Judicial Immunity for Non-Judicial Conduct
- Ninth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Refusing to Feed Prisoner, by Mark Wilson
- $145,000 Settlement by New York City After Holding Immigration Detainee Beyond 48 Hours, by David Reutter
- Washington DOC Settles MRSA Death Claim for $125,000, by Brandon Sample
- $3.5 Million Settlement to Former New York Prisoner Convicted Due to Perjured Testimony
- Kentucky Law Retroactively Applied to Award Street Credit
- Washington DOC Agrees to Pay $38,000 in Too-Much-Medicine Suit
- California Prisoner Wins Option of Kosher Meals Until Halal Meals Can be Provided
- News in Brief:
More from Brandon Sample:
- Q&A: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel: Which Errors Are Worth Pursuing?, April 12, 2019
- Guilty Plea Does Not Foreclose Challenge To Constitutionality Of Conviction, U.S. Supreme Court Decides, April 19, 2018
- U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Habeas Relief Citing AEDPA Deference, Dec. 19, 2017
- Maryland Ban on Prisoner's Book Rescinded, Aug. 23, 2016
- Former BOP Guard Convicted In Murder-For-Hire Scheme, Aug. 22, 2016
- Second BOP Guard Convicted In Assault-For-Hire, Aug. 22, 2016
- BOP Dentist Gets Slap On The Wrist for Sex Abuse, Aug. 22, 2016
- Cook County Jail Agrees to Improvements, April 15, 2013
- No More Than 20 Percent Can Be Deducted To Pay Filing Fees, April 15, 2013
- Heck Does Not Apply to Released Prisoner Seeking Damages for Sentence Miscalculation, April 15, 2013
More from these topics:
- L.A. County Begins Making Nearly $5 Billion in Payouts to Survivors of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention, Sept. 1, 2026. Sexual Assault, Staff-Prisoner Assault, Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Settlements, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
- Florida DOC Rebuked for Seizing Prisoner’s Excessive Force Settlement to Cover Incarceration Liens, Sept. 1, 2026. Summary Judgment, Settlements, Seizure of Prisoner Funds, Trust Accounts, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- $280,000 Paid for South Carolina Detainee’s Death in Charleston Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Contractor Liability, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Monell Liability.
- New Commission to Investigate Death and Abuse of 230 Black Children at Segregated Maryland Reformatory, Sept. 1, 2026. Racial Discrimination, Prison Labor, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons.
- Isolation and Medical Neglect at Illinois’ Joliet Treatment Center Drive Prisoners to Set Fatal Fires, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Security Systems, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- $500,000 for Mentally Ill Detainee Beaten by Guard at Ohio Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Summary Judgment, Settlements, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- $3 Million Paid by San Diego County for Diabetic Detainee’s Jail Death; NaphCare Settles Separately for Undisclosed Amount, Sept. 1, 2026. Naphcare, Diabetes, Failure to Treat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Michigan DOC Legal Payouts Top $7 Million in FY 2025, Less than One Percent of $2.15 Billion Operating Budget, Sept. 1, 2026. Statistics/Trends, Cost of Prison Systems, Damages, Settlements.
- Ohio Finds Guards and Medical Staff Failed to Render Life-Saving CPR to Detainee, Sept. 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Failure to Train/Supervise, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- $11 Million Paid by Boston to Exonerated Prisoner for 37-Year Wrongful Incarceration, Sept. 1, 2026. Settlements, Wrongful Conviction, Wrongful Imprisonment, Monell Liability, Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence.

