22 million payout to prisoner held for 2 years without a trial

[draco664]

Stephen Slevin was arrested in August 2005 for DWI - and placed in solitary until May 2007 without seeing a judge.

Link

In the lawsuit against the county, he claimed that he had to pull his own tooth out after being refused dental care. He won the suit and the jury awarded him 22 million.

Seriously, how in this day and age can you freaking lose a prisoner?

[DrFaroohk]

"But we're so buuuuusy". Is the general excuse I hear when the assholes in charge fuck up...again.

I say, you knew what the job was when you took it, if you can't do it efficiently you need to quit.

[Canarr]

I can't really think of any good (or even passable) reason to keep someone in a solitary cell for two years without letting him see a judge - so I say, good for him that his suit was granted. Someone in that county needs a serious wakeup call.

Although apparently, the county believes to have several strong reasons for their appeal. Or something like that; I admit to being skeptical, but curious...

[lordlundar]

Although apparently, the county believes to have several strong reasons for their appeal. Or something like that; I admit to being skeptical, but curious...

I have to admit, I'd be curious as to what the appeal would be for locking someone for 2 years without a trial for a misdemeanor (I mean honestly, he was most likely put in solitary originally as a form of a drunk tank).

[tropicsgoddess]

I just wonder what made them charge the guy for a DWI and what lame ass excuses they have for not letting him have a trial and being locked up for 2 years. I'm glad the guy won the suit but when shit like this where the county makes a fuck up like that makes you wonder sometimes.

[bara]

22 months without ever seeing a judge?
Sounds to me like there are some people that need to go into solitary confinement for a couple of years as punishment.

[blas87]

I know of someone with 5 DUIs walking free as a bird who could really use 2 years being forgotten in a cell.

[Panacea]

Where was his family during all of this? Did they not know where he was?

[Greenday]

I feel like there's something missing that we don't know about. Some reason why he was put there. I can't explain any of it, but it just seems way too stupid to just be a pure accident.

[Canarr]

There's some more to be found here:

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/79751695 (Plaintiff's trial brief)

This I find interesting:

State Tort/False Imprisonment
The same evidence will be produced for the false imprisonment claim as the constitutional procedural due process claim. Plaintiff was placed in a highly restrictive form of housing without a reasonable justification to do so. It is important to note, Plaintiff is not seeking to prove he was not legally in the custody of the jail on this claim, but rather his confinement in segregation amounted to false imprisonment. Plaintiff will object to all testimony from Defendants blaming the public defender, the district attorney,or the state district judge for his failure to be released from the jail in a reasonable timeframe as such evidence is irrelevant to his conditions of confinement claims and to his false imprisonment claim.

So... was he legally in the custody of the jail, or wasn't he?

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/79751704 (Defendants' trial brief)

More documents can be found here: http://www.omarha-redeye.com/blog/st...y-confinement/

Now, I don't know the guy, so I can't vouch for the integrity of that blog. Still, the documents look legit to me - but then again, I don't know Jack about US legal documents.

[draco664]

Plaintiff is not seeking to prove he was not legally in the custody of the jail on this claim, but rather his confinement in segregation amounted to false imprisonment. Plaintiff will object to all testimony from Defendants blaming the public defender, the district attorney,or the state district judge for his failure to be released from the jail in a reasonable timeframe as such evidence is irrelevant to his conditions of confinement claims and to his false imprisonment claim.[/I]

So... was he legally in the custody of the jail, or wasn't he?

Well, it sounds like a legal tactic to prevent certain arguments or later appeals.

IANAL, but it seems that by conceding that he was in prison legally, he can have the testimony about not releasing him in a timely manner discarded. It looks like he's trying an angle about being in solitary the entire time being False imprisonment. Prison with a prison? Dunno really. Maybe I'm just blowing out my arse.

[Kheldarson]

So... was he legally in the custody of the jail, or wasn't he?

I think he's saying that he agrees he was initially confined legally (not disagreeing with the DUI) but that being immediately put into solitary was a breach of their custody of him. Especially with two years being tacked on. That's how it reads to me at least.

[Salted Grump]

Which makes sense as, IIRC, you have to be brought before a justice of the peace within 48 hours of 'booking', if you've been charged. 22 Months in solitary without being brought before a court of law is pretty much a textbook example of unlawful imprisonment.

[Beckpatton]

So they remembered to feed him for two years but no one remembered he needed a judge?