Medical Malpractice Caused California Prisoner’s Death, $177,500 Settlement
Medical Malpractice Caused California Prisoner’s Death, $177,500 Settlement
by David M. Reutter
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDOC) paid $177,500 to settle a lawsuit claiming that medical malpractice caused a prisoner’s death.
Prisoner Tyrell Rippetoe was a dialysis patient susceptible to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections at his dialysis access points. He was hospitalized in August 2008 for an infection and a new access point for his dialysis was created. The infection was treated by an IV injection of vancomycin, an antibiotic.
He was released in September 2008 to the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison (SATF-CSP), to continue his incarceration. Instructions were given for Rippetoe to receive vancomycin intravenously, three times a week, for the next two weeks, during his regularly scheduled dialysis. Prison medical officials, however, failed to administer the vancomycin, causing the MRSA infection to recur.
Rippetoe was sent to a hospital and treated. Upon release, the instructions were the same; continue treatment of the infection with vancomycin. Once again, Rippetoe did not receive the treatment as instructed, and his infection again recurred in November 2008. SATF-CSP medical personnel treated him with pain relievers.
When he was taken to a hospital on Dec 6, 2008, doctors concluded that he was suffering from MRSA. They treated him with vancomycin, but his condition resulted in a seizure that diminished his mental capacity. Rippetoe then died on December 22, 2008.
His daughter sued SATF-CSP and its chief medical officer, Anthony Enemoh, claiming that their failure to administer vancomycin was negligence amounting to medical malpractice. The parties agreed to the $277,500 settlement on October 8, 2013. The plaintiff was represented by attorney Douglas C. Hallett of Pasadena. See: Rippetoe v. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Fresno County Superior Court (Cal.), Case No. 10-CECG-03018.
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Related legal case
Rippetoe v. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
| Year | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Cite | Fresno County Superior Court (Cal.), Case No. 10-CECG-03018 |
| Level | State |
| Damages | 177,500 |