Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
A lawsuit filed Thursday accuses the Indiana Department of Correction of negligence in the July 2023 death of an inmate at the Plainfield Correctional Facility by failing to provide proper medical care.
Charles Riggs died “due to acute respiratory failure, due to hypoxic encephalopathy, as the result of Hepatitis C cirrhosis,” according to the lawsuit filed in Marion Superior Court.
Helen Sharpe, the plaintiff and special administrator of Riggs’ estate, said in the complaint that a comprehensive plan to treat the inmate’s serious medical condition was not established soon enough and that a lack of care led to his death.
Annie Goeller, chief communications officer for Department of Correction, said the agency’s policy is not to comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit says that on June 20, 2023, Riggs was discharged to a mental health watch cell.
The entirety of Riggs’ stay in the cell was digitally recorded and showed continued effects of a serious medical condition, including hepatic encephalopathy, according to the complaint.
He was scheduled to be seen in the infirmary on June 26, but the lawsuit says corrections employees failed to bring him to the appointment.
Sharpe said no labs or blood work was done when he was in the mental health watch cell from June 20 to June 27.
On June 27, he was found non-responsive in the cell. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors determined he was suffering from hepatic encephalopathy, acute encephalopathy, and acute respiratory failure. Riggs died on July 29.
His estate is now suing the warden and prison guards for failure to protect, the department of corrections for negligence/wrongful death, and the prison’s medical provider for its policy procedure and practice. The plaintiff is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
The case is Helen Sharpe v. Donald Emerson, Indiana Department of Correction, Anonymous Medical Provider, 49D04-2504-CT-016899.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.