Greenville, SC – September 3, 2024 – Smith Jordan, P.A., and David R. Price, Jr., P.A., are proud to announce the U.S. District Court’s approval of a $2.5 million settlement paid to the family of a man who was allowed to die in the custody of the Greenville County Detention Center (“GCDC”). The $2.5 million settlement includes a total of $2,050,000 paid by or on behalf of Greenville County. Greenville County Council voted to pay $750,000 of County funds as the GCDC purchased only $1.2M of professional liability coverage.
According to the Complaint, Greenville County Detention Center staff failed to provide necessary medical care to the Plaintiff’s husband while he was in custody at the GCDC. Evidence discovered by Plaintiff’s counsel showed that, after arriving at the GCDC in the midst of an apparent mental health crisis, Plaintiff’s husband lost approximately 36 lbs during the seventeen (17) days he was in GCDC custody and was severely dehydrated at the time of his death. A pathology expert opined that severe dehydration caused Plaintiff’s husband to suffer a pulmonary thromboembolism from deep venous thrombosis, which resulted in his death. Plaintiff’s counsel argued that proper mental health care and subsequent medical care would have avoided Plaintiff’s husband’s tragic death.
“Many members of our community may not realize that GCDC is the largest mental healthcare provider in the county, and that often incarcerated inmates are in detention because their mental health issues resulted in erratic behavior,” said Grady Jordan, founding partner of Smith Jordan, P.A. in Easley, SC. “Our client’s husband went to the jail during an obvious mental health crisis, and rather than provide him appropriate care the GCDC allowed him to waste away over a period of weeks. We believe that nobody in governmental custody should be permitted to die from lack of water. No amount of recovery is sufficient to our client, who lost her husband in so horrific a fashion.”
“It was apparent to our firms from the outset that our client’s husband should not have died in the detention center, and the only question we had was how many ways his death could have been avoided,” said David Price, Jr., founding partner at David R. Price, Jr., P.A., in Greenville, SC. “Our citizenry should be aware that South Carolina’s legislature has imposed limits on recovery against governmental entities of $300,000 per occurrence, and that it is only in cases where there are multiple independent torts or civil rights violations that we can recover sums in excess of this limit, no matter how catastrophic the loss. Through our efforts we were able to recover sums in excess of these caps, but only because of the extreme nature of the gross negligence perpetrated by multiple parties. Our citizens should know that in most cases where the government causes loss of life to a citizen, the families will not be able to recover sums greater than the governmental liability caps without a change in our present laws.”
Plaintiff’s counsel extends its sincere thanks to Bruce Wilson of Greenville, SC, for his tireless work on behalf of the community. In addition to his activism and efforts to shift public policy, he works to help folks secure appropriate legal help when they are victimized by unjust conduct.
Plaintiff was represented by W. Grady Jordan of Smith Jordan, P.A., and David R. Price, Jr., and Samuel B. Tooker of David R. Price, Jr., P.A.
The case is Tucker v. Greenville County and Prisma Health-Upstate, C.A. No. 2:22-cv-2389, in the U.S. District Court for South Carolina.
About Smith Jordan, P.A.
Smith Jordan, P.A., offers a multi–disciplinary law practice serving the upstate of South Carolina for over 40 years. Whether a person has been denied a claim for Workers’ Compensation or Social Security Disability, are dealing with the aftermath of an Auto Accident or Personal Injury, or if someone has been arrested and charged with a crime, we are there to help provide professional and personalized legal representation. Learn more about us by visiting our website at www.smithjordan.com
About David R. Price, Jr., P.A.
The law firm of David R. Price, Jr., P.A. is recognized as one of South Carolina’s top personal injury, criminal defense, and civil rights law firms. Through zealous advocacy in fighting for justice on behalf of individuals and families, the firm has obtained numerous seven–figure judgments and settlements. To learn more about the firm, please go to www.greenvillelegal.com.
Contact
W. Grady Jordan – (864) 855–1661 – jordan@smithjordan.com
David R. Price, Jr. – (864) 271–2636 – david@greenvillelegal.com
David Price is a Personal Injury, Civil Litigation, Collections, and Criminal Defense Attorney who practices in Greenville, SC. He graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law, and has been practicing law for 12 years. David Price believes in helping those who have been injured. Learn more about his experience by clicking here.
