The family of Maurice Monk filed a lawsuit in federal court against Santa Rita jail in California, where he spent his final days after a jail staff failed to provide the doctor's prescribed medication.
Before Monk entered the jail, he had taken his medication regularly for high blood pressure, diabetes, and schizophrenia.
California Inmate's Family Files Lawsuit Against Santa Rita Jail
Earlier this month, Monk's family filed a "wrongful death lawsuit" in federal court against the Alameda county sheriff's office, 15 sheriff's deputy employees and Santa Rita jail workers, and Wellpath Community Care.
According to The Guardian, California jails were reported to be the subject of lawsuits and federal investigations for providing substandard care. Monk's death within the facility represented an unconscionable failure of the entire Santa Rita jail staff, from law enforcement supervisors to medical staff to deputy and sergeant sheriffs.
Monk's sister, Elvira Monk, previously expressed her concern that her brother's health might decline without proper medication. Elvira admitted that she repeatedly contacted Santa Rita jail to remind them about Monk's medication.
The lawsuit noted that the jail rejected her efforts and sent her through disappointing bureaucratic processes that led to no outcome. The death of Monk motivated attorneys to review footage from more than 150 body-camera videos.
A spokesperson for the Alameda county sheriff's office declined to comment and noted that the case is still ongoing. In a previous 2022 court filing, attorneys for WellPath denied the allegations.
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Monk's Death Inside the Jail
Despite the rising medical emergency, jail and medical staff allegedly noticed Monk in his bunk surrounded by unopened meals, water, medication, urine, and feces. Monk's family described his experience in jail as a "slow, torturous death."
The court claimed that Monk was in a housing unit for people with mental health needs, which required wellness checks every 30 minutes. Furthermore, after he left his cell for recreation, he received blood pressure and diabetes medication for the last time.
The lawsuit claimed that the jail staff left medication for Monk in paper cups on his cell's floor and disclosed it as "receiving" or "refusing" medication. The sheriff's deputies conducted a wellness check on the day Monk remained unresponsive. But a deputy said he could see him breathing, which was reported that he was sleeping.
On November 15, 2022, staff members visited his cell, and he remained unmoved. An inmate serving food said that Monk had been laying for several days. The inmate asked, "Are we just waiting for him to kick the bucket?"
The staff members entered the cell and found Monk's body with no pulse and was declared dead. The autopsy reported that Monk had developed bed sores from not moving for some time.
After Monk's death, Care First Community Coalition, a mental health advocate, protested on Saturday to grieve and protest about the recent deaths in Santa Rita Jail. The organization claimed that the jail had violated health and safety violations, where more than 60 people have died since 2014. At least five inmates died at the jail in 2023.
