$200,000 Settlement in Wyoming Prisoner’s Suicide Death
$200,000 Settlement in Wyoming Prisoner’s Suicide Death
To settle the claim that a prisoner who committed suicide was not properly treated, Wyoming’s Cambell County Detention Center (CCDC) has paid the prisoner’s estate $200,000. Nick Ashby, 38, was booked into CCDC on July 21, 2003, for violating a court order to stay away from his family home following a domestic violence charge.
At booking, Ashby denied being suicidal, but smelled of alcohol. He had a history of alcohol abuse and DTs. Ten days later, Ashby was placed in administrative confinement because he continued to violate orders to stop making unwanted phone calls. About an hour and a half after that placement, Ashby was found dead in his cell, hanging from a sheet.
His estate claimed Ashby was suffering from alcohol withdrawal and DT’s which required being placed on suicide watch. Although jail officials argued there was nothing to suggest in Ashby’s behavior that suicide watch was necessary, the CCDC settled the claim with the estate, which included Ashby’s wife and two young daughters, for $200,000 in February 2008. See: Ashby v. Campbell County, Wyoming, USDC, D. Wyo. Case No: 05-CV-199.
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Related legal case
Ashby v. Campbell County, Wyoming
| Year | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Cite | USDC, D. Wyo. Case No: 05-CV-199 |
| Level | District Court |
| Conclusion | Settlement |
| Damages | 200,000.00 |
| Injunction Status | N/A |