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Defense Verdict in Kentucky Prisoner’s Death; Appellate Court Reverses
Loaded on March 31, 2016
by David Reutter
published in Prison Legal News
April, 2016, page 36
Filed under:
Guard Misconduct,
Medical Misconduct,
Jail Misconduct,
Failure to Treat,
Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
Location:
Kentucky.
A Kentucky state jury found for the defendants in a lawsuit alleging a jail guard and nurse failed to monitor and treat a pretrial detainee’s serious medical condition, resulting in her death. Recently, however, the Court of Appeals reversed and remanded for a new trial.
Melissa Czaja, 34, …
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More from this issue:
- Jailhouse Medicine - A Private Contractor Flourishes Despite Controversy Over Prisoner Deaths
- Massachusetts: Lawsuit Filed to Stop Dog Searches of Prison Visitors, by Joe Watson
- Excited Delirium Syndrome: Medical Condition or Cover-Up?, by David Reutter
- New Mexico: Sharon Jones’s Strep Death Among Shocking Prison Tragedies in Lawsuits
- South Carolina Sheriff Resigns, Pleads Guilty to DUI
- Medical Marijuana Use by Arizona Probationer Cannot Support Violation
- Federal Lawsuit Claims Negligence Caused Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Heroin Overdose Death, by Christopher Zoukis
- Irish High Court Bars Extradition of Terror Suspect to U.S., Citing Inhumanity of Solitary Confinement, by Derek Gilna
- $2.5 Million Settlement in North Carolina Prisoner’s Dehydration Death
- Court’s Gag Order in Michigan Jail Corruption Case Reversed
- Failure to Timely Assert Affirmative Defense in Responsive Pleading Constitutes Waiver
- Report Finds Shortcomings at Santa Clara County, California Jail, by Derek Gilna
- Tennessee Prisoner Awarded $60,000 for Guards’ Use of Excessive Force
- $3.5 Million for South Carolina Prisoner’s Death Due to Deliberate Indifference
- Deaf Prisoners Win Important Settlements in Kentucky and Maryland, by Derek Gilna
- Architects’ Ethics Panel to Consider Boycott of Execution Chambers and Prison Design, by David Reutter
- Pepper-spraying Sleeping Prisoner Unconstitutional, but Case Loses at Trial, by David Reutter
- “Fatal Neglect” Report Faults ICE Health Care for Deaths of Detained Immigrants, by Derek Gilna
- Ninth Circuit: Freezing Prisoner’s Funds Requires Pre-deprivation Process, by Mark Wilson
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- DOJ Settlement to Improve Conditions at Mississippi Juvenile Facility
- Colson Task Force Report Highlights BOP Issues, Makes Recommendations, by Derek Gilna
- Book Review: "Illegal to Legal: Business Success for (ex)Criminals, by R.L. Pelshaw", by Christopher Zoukis
- Lawsuit Claiming CMUs Lack Due Process on Appeal to D.C. Circuit, by Derek Gilna
- Delayed Washington Competency Evaluations and Treatment Violate Due Process, by Mark Wilson
- Sacramento County Settles Former Jail Prisoner’s Lawsuits for $3,800, by Matthew Clarke
- Privately-operated Texas Prison Rebounds, by Matthew Clarke
- Transparent Jumpsuit for Prison Transport May Violate Eighth Amendment
- Ninth Circuit: Improper ICE Detainer Constitutes Article III Injury, by Mark Wilson
- The Will of the People: Ex-prisoners Voted into Public Office, by Joe Watson
- California: Strip Searches of Prison Visitors No Longer Allowed
- Exonerated New York Prisoner Recovers $21.9 Million in Damages
- California Supreme Court Voids Ex Post Facto Sex Offender Residency Restrictions, by Derek Gilna
- Texas: $400,000 Settlement Award to Mentally Ill Jail Prisoner
- Lawsuits Challenge Release Debit Cards; Courts Rule Against Arbitration, by Derek Gilna
- Prison’s Censorship of Newsweek Upheld
- Sixth Circuit Allows Revival of Untimely Habeas Appeal Using Rule 60(b), by Matthew Clarke
- $550,000 Jury Award for Failure to Treat Prisoner’s Broken Jaw
- Kentucky Restores Voting Rights for Former Prisoners, then Reverses Course
- Defense Verdict in Kentucky Prisoner’s Death; Appellate Court Reverses, by David Reutter
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- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds Motion Judge Abused Discretion by Denying Evidentiary Hearing on IAC Claim Where Plea Counsel’s Affidavit Was Not Inherently Inconsistent With Colloquy Statements Regarding Immigration Advice, March 1, 2026
- Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Double Jeopardy Analysis for Multiple Assault Convictions, Holding That Assaultive Acts Occurring Over Short Time Period in Same Location Without Intervening Events Constitute Single Course of Conduct, March 1, 2026
- New Jersey Supreme Court Reverses Drug Convictions Under Cumulative Error Doctrine, Holding Combined Effect of Improper References to Television Series, Gun Violence, and Search Warrants Deprived Defendant of Fair Trial, March 1, 2026
- New York Court of Appeals Announces Coercive Police Tactics Compelling Suspect to Exit Home Constitute “Constructive Entry” Violating Payton, Holds Attenuation Analysis Applies to Third-Party Consent, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Hospital Keeps Sending Detainees Back Without Care to County Jail in Colorado, May 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Former Prison Dentist in Iowa Accused of Harassment, May 1, 2026. Sexual Harassment, Threats by Staff, Medical Misconduct, Dental Care.
- Pregnant Women Detained in Jail: The Hideous Story of In-Custody Births, May 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, OB/GYN, Failure to Treat, Jail Specific, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $9.8 Million in Settlements Reached with South Carolina County and Wellpath in Gruesome Jail Death, May 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Sanitation, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- Idaho DOC Director Denies Verified Report of Rampant Sexual Abuse of Women Prisoners by Staff, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Retaliatory Segregation, Prison Rape Elimination Act.
- “Like the Walking Dead”: Smuggled Drugs Fuel Chaos Inside Ohio Prisons, May 1, 2026. Contractor Misconduct, Guard Misconduct, Drug Overdose, Security Systems, Drugs - Determination of.
- NaphCare Pays $875,000 to Settle New York License Violations, Banned from State for Five Years, May 1, 2026. Naphcare, Contractor Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Private Contractors, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- $2.135 Million Partial Settlement Reached in Schizophrenic Detainee’s Death from “Gross Medical Neglect” at South Carolina Jail, May 1, 2026. Prison Health Services, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026. Drug Overdose, Overcrowding, Sanitation, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
- Taser Use Doubled After Grand Jury Report on Pennsylvania Prisoner’s Death, May 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Stun Guns/Tasers, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Staff Training.

