Hawai‘i Pays $600,000 for Prisoner’s Withdrawal Death
by Chuck Sharman
On May 26, 2026, Hawai‘i lawmakers agreed to fund a $600,000 settlement resolving claims against the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) filed by the Estate of Brian O’Gorman, who died two weeks after being taken off his methadone addiction treatment by officials at Halawa Correctional Facility (HCF) in 2023.
O’Gorman, 43, was sentenced to a term up to 10 years in DCR custody on February 16, 2023, after his conviction for identity theft, attempted theft and promoting a dangerous drug. That was also the last day he received any of the methadone prescribed to treat his heroin addiction. Nine days later, he reported for sick call at HCF, complaining of entirely foreseeable symptoms of methadone withdrawal, including hallucinations, shaking and sweating.
But instead of prescription medication, a prison doctor ordered O’Gorman placed on the DCR’s withdrawal protocol, which included treatment only for his symptoms of pain and nausea. When that failed to stem his rising tide of paranoia, the prisoner was placed on suicide watch two days later. Another five days of agony ensued for O’Gorman before staff found him unresponsive in his cell, and he was pronounced dead on March 2. The cause of death was determined to be a heart attack brought on by severe and prolonged dehydration.
With the aid of Turbin Chu Heidt Attorneys at Law in Honolulu, Susan O’Gorman filed suit as administrator of her son’s Estate in July 2024, asking the state Circuit Court to hold prison officials liable for the failure to treat his withdrawal symptoms, leaving him to suffer such an agonizing death. “They should have continued him on methadone treatment and not just let him go cold turkey,” Richard Turbin, one of the Estate’s attorneys, told Honolulu Civil Beat. The parties then proceeded to reach their settlement agreement. Under its terms, the state agreed to the $600,000 payout, which included costs and fees for the Estate’s attorneys. See: O’Gorman v. Hawaii, Haw. 1st Cir. (O’ahu), Case No. 1CCV-24-0000912.
The agreement was placed on legislators’ agenda as HB 2250, along with a statement from the office of state Attorney General (AG) Anne Lopez (D) that O’Gorman “was being treated for mental health issues rather than drug withdrawal.” This, the AG explained, is what “allegedly resulted in his becoming severely dehydrated, unable to walk, and unable to communicate” before his death. HB 2250 also included a $800,000 payout for the suicide two months after O’Gorman’s death of DCR pretrial detainee Jimuel Gatioan, as reported elsewhere in this issue. [See: PLN, Sep. 2026, p.34.]
“The citizens of Hawai‘i should know just the lack of due care at the prison,” said Turbin. “Just the lack of care and the lack of attention and not following their own standards and their rules about how they should handle a prisoner who’s coming in and is potentially going to have withdrawal symptoms.”
“Nobody deserved what happened to him,” Turbin declared. “This never should have happened.”
Additional source: Honolulu Civil Beat
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