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Washington State: Jury Awards $549,000 to Prisoner Denied Pain Medication
by Chad Marks
Etienne L. Choquette, incarcerated in a Washington State prison, suffered from multiple sclerosis. A neurologist prescribed gabapentin – used to control pain and seizures – to address his condition, but Dr. Cris DuVall recommended stopping the medication. Choquette was eventually taken off gabapentin but subsequently …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Former Angola Major Found Guilty – Twice – in Excessive Force Case, by Scott Grammer
- Report and Video of Arizona Prison Riot Released, by Matthew Clarke
- New York Prisoner Harassed and Assaulted by Guard Loses in Court of Claims
- Long-Term Recidivism Studies Show High Arrest Rates, by Matthew Clarke
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Summary Judgment in Failure to Protect Case
- Two-Year Investigation, Litigation and Settlement Ends Segregation, Mistreatment of LGBTQ Prisoners at California Jail, by Derek Gilna
- Major Prison Telecom Merger Canceled; Victory for Campaign for Prison Phone Justice!
- Kansas Federal Court Awards Prisoner $250,000 for Guard’s Excessive Force, by Matthew Clarke
- BOP Official Who Ordered More Prisoners Sent to Private Prisons Hired by GEO Group, by Scott Grammer
- Meek Mill and Michael Rubin Start Criminal Justice Reform Organization, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Sixth Circuit Rejects Qualified Immunity for Jail Guard Accused of Sexual Abuse, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Court Awards $3,750,000 in Damages for Sexual Assault by Prison Guards, by Chad Marks
- Prison Policy Initiative Issues Report on State of Prison Phone Justice, by Matthew Clarke
- Settlement Provides for Improved Competency Procedures for Jailed Mentally Ill in Washington State
- Delaware: No Convictions in Second Vaughn Riot Trial, by Kevin Bliss
- Landlords Challenge Ordinance that Protects Former Prisoners’ Rental Rights, by Douglas Ankney
- Federal Prison Employee Sentenced for Defrauding Prisoners’ Families, by Scott Grammer
- Continued Problems with Mental Health Care, Suicides in Alabama DOC, by Kevin W. Bliss
- New Mexico Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Policy of Denying Transport to Medical Appointments During Lockdowns, by Matthew Clarke
- Judge Initially Plays Pass-the-Buck with Proposal to Hire Suicide Prevention Expert
- Kansas Slaps Corizon Health with Millions in Fines for Contract Violations, by Chad Marks
- Florida Fleeces Prisoners with High Canteen Prices, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Eleventh Circuit Agrees Prosecutor is Entitled to Qualified Immunity in Retaliation Case, by Chad Marks
- “Free” Prisoner-Made Furniture Gets Ohio Prison Industry Officials in Hot Water, by Chad Marks
- New York: 58-Month Prison Sentence for Former Jail Union Boss Who Took Bribes, by Chad Marks
- Lack of Outdoor Recreation for D.C. Jail Prisoners “Dehumanizing”, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Private Halfway Houses Plagued with Escapes, Drugs, Sex and Violence, by Chad Marks
- $625,000 Settlement for Virginia Jail Prisoner’s Death from Untreated Ulcer
- Oklahoma: Sovereign Immunity Prohibits Lawsuits Over Prisoner Medical Care
- New York: Liability Established in Claim Over Assault by Prison Guard, by Matthew Clarke
- $301,000 Awarded in Lawsuit Over Suicide at Illinois Jail, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Cell Phones Sold in Commissary at South Carolina Jail, by Scott Grammer
- Oregon: Knowledge of Injury and Defendants’ Causal Role Required for Accrual of § 1983 Claims, by Mark Wilson
- Search for Mental Health Care Ends Tragically at Florida Jail, by David M. Reutter
- New Jersey Prisoner Who Suggested Date to Nurse Has Disciplinary Action Reversed
- Illinois Agrees to Sweeping Prison Health Care Reforms, by Matthew Clarke
- HRDC Files Censorship Suit Against Tennessee County Jail
- Prisoner’s Death from Methadone Over-Prescription Results in Summary Judgment, Settlement, by David Reutter
- $525,000 Settlement for Loss of Federal Prisoner’s Eye
- $10 Million Awarded Against Corizon and Oregon County for Jail Detox Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Wrongful Death, Whistleblower Suits Filed After Prisoner Dies at New Orleans Jail, by David M. Reutter
- New York: $775,000 Judgment for Prisoners Searched in Freezing Weather
- Cancellation of Illinois Prison Debate Class Debated in Court, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Washington State: Jury Awards $549,000 to Prisoner Denied Pain Medication, by Chad Marks
- States Rack Up Tens of Millions of Dollars in Prison Guard Overtime Pay, by Matthew Clarke
- Private Prisoner Transport Firm Closes After Escape; Problems Continue to Plague Industry, by Matthew Clarke
- Beating of Michigan Jail Prisoner Results in $36.6 Million Verdict,$12.9 Million Settlement, by Chad Marks
- Wisconsin Pays Largest Civil Rights Settlement in State’s History –$18.9 Million – for Juvenile Offender’s Suicide Attempt, by Chad Marks, Derek Gilna
- Unlicensed Interns to Perform Psych Tests on Utah Prisoners, by Scott Grammer
- Hospice Programs Provided in Pennsylvania Prisons, by Ruth Hoskins
- CoreCivic Creates Nonprofit Foundation, Ostensibly to Reduce Recidivism, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit Vacates Dismissal of Suit by Civilly Committed Sex Offender, by Matthew Clarke
- Claim Denied; No Proof New York Prison Guards Acted Within Scope of Their Employment
- Inspector General: California Prison Guards Violate Use of Force Policies Half the Time, by Steve Horn
- Staffing Shortage at Ohio Legislative Oversight Committee has Interns Inspecting Prisons, by Matthew Clarke
- Humane Treatment for Terminally Ill Prisoners, by Kevin W. Bliss
- The Uphill Road to Prisoners’ Rights, by F.T. Green
- Virginia Court Improperly Denied Transgender Prisoner’s Name Change, by Matthew Clarke
- Attorney-Client Privilege Under Attack in Jails Across the Nation, by Douglas Ankney
- Incarceration Decrease? Drop in Prison Numbers Called “Anemic”, by Ted Gest
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Vermont Prisoner Sexually Abused at Private Prison in Michigan Receives $750, by Steve Horn
- Horrific Deaths, Brutal Treatment: Mental Illness in America’s Jails, by Gary A. Harki
More from Chad Marks:
- Use of Solitary Confinement During Pandemic Detrimental To Prisoners and Not Slowing Spread of COVID-19, May 1, 2021
- COVID-19 Inspired Ban on Prison Visits in Texas Ends, April 1, 2021
- Sequel: Three Additional Federal Executions Before Trump Left Office, March 1, 2021
- Connecticut: Summary Judgment Denied in Deliberate Indifference Case Where Facial Lesion Turned Out To Be Skin Cancer, Nov. 1, 2020
- Ford Foundation President’s Support to Replace Rikers With Other Jails Criticized, Oct. 1, 2020
- Wisconsin: Court Dismisses Prisoners’ Suit Over Asbestos, Mold on Procedural Grounds, Sept. 1, 2020
- New Jersey: Commission Recommends State Take 100 Steps to Improve Re-Entry for Ex-Prisoners, Sept. 1, 2020
- New York: Prisoner Kills Himself After Brutal Beating by Guards, Aug. 1, 2020
- Jury Award $700,000 to Maryland Prisoner Assaulted by Guards, Aug. 1, 2020
- Is the Death Penalty Slowly Dying Across the Nation?, June 15, 2020
More from these topics:
- ICE Stops Reporting Deaths of Recently Released Detainees, July 1, 2026. Misconduct/Corruption, Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Immigration Law/Offenses, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions.
- Fifth Circuit Kills Louisiana Prison Medical and Mental Health Care Reform, July 1, 2026. Medical, Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Immunity/Liability, Mental Health.
- Louisiana’s Atavistic Approach to Criminal Sentencing and Parole Demonstrates Politicians’ Failure to Learn from Past Mistakes, July 1, 2026. Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Sentencing, Parole, Prisoners' Rights.
- BOP Ordered to Restart Gender Affirming Care for Trans Prisoners, July 1, 2026. Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Transgender.
- $3.25 Million Verdict in New York Against Jail Medical Profiteer Armor Health, July 1, 2026. Private Prisons, Misconduct/Corruption, Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions.
- Federal Conviction, Guilty Pleas for Jail Guards Responsible for Oklahoma Detainee’s Death, July 1, 2026. Misconduct/Corruption, Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Excessive Force, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions.
- Tennessee Calls Off Execution After Botched Lethal Injection, July 1, 2026. Medical Misconduct, Pain, Staff Training, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Lethal Injection Method of Execution.
- Federal Court Partially Enjoins Enforcement of Georgia’s S.B. 185 Prohibiting Gender-Affirming Health Care in DOC, June 1, 2026. Medication, Failure to Treat, Injunctions, Transgender Medical Procedures, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Fourth Circuit Revives Detainee’s Suit Alleging Monell and 14th Amendment Deliberate Indifference Claims, June 1, 2026. Medication, Private Contractors, Failure to Treat, Monell Liability, Deliberate Indifference.
- Prisoners in Oklahoma Can Now Buy Vapes, Pouches from Commissary, April 1, 2026. Medical, Statistics/Trends, Commissary, Prison Regulations.

