$6,000 Settlement for Negligent Failure to Treat at CCA Tennessee Prison

by David M. Reutter

Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) paid $6,184.71 to settle a lawsuit brought by a prisoner at Metro Davidson County Detention Facility (MCDF). The complaint alleged the faucet overflowed the sink in the cell of prisoner James A. Reese.

Guards were alerted before shift change, but the next shift was assumed by guard Taylor, who had a history of abusing prisoners. He refused to provide equipment to clean up the water. When Reese awoke at 3:30 a.m. on April 4, 2006, he slipped and fell on the wet floor, hitting his head. He remained unconscious until his arrival at a hospital.

When returned to MCDF, Reese was denied a neck brace and an MRI, as recommended by the treating physician, to determine the extent of his injuries. After the injury, Reese, a minimum-security prisoner, was housed in the maximum-security wing and assaulted.

Once released from MCDF, it was determined that Reese had a bulging disc at the C5-S1 area of the lumbar spine. Reese agreed to the settlement on April 10, 2007. That settlement came after attorney William J. Haynes sent CCA a demand letter.

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