Weeks before it was scheduled to go before a federal jury, San Diego County has agreed to a strikingly expensive end to a long-running lawsuit that stemmed from a chilling jail death nearly five years ago.
The county and one of its private healthcare contractors will pay $15 million to the family of Elisa Serna, a 24-year-old pregnant woman who died in the Las Colinas jail after a sheriff’s deputy and medical worker watched her collapse in her cell and left her alone to die.
San Diego County taxpayers will bear the brunt of the monetary damages, absorbing $14 million of the agreed-upon amount. The Coast Correctional Medical Group, which provides medical professionals to treat people in jail, will pay $1 million.
“The parties will immediately file a notice of settlement with the United States District Court and will jointly move to dismiss this case with prejudice and the pending appeal within three days of the settlement payment,” the agreement states.
The plaintiffs and their lawyers said the deal was reached Friday night after a negotiating session that stretched more than 12 hours. They plan to announce the settlement formally at a news conference Tuesday morning.
The settlement was confirmed by the judge overseeing the federal lawsuit, who posted notice of the agreement on the court website on Monday.
A San Diego County spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the multimillion-dollar payout.
Sheriff Kelly Martinez issued a statement noting she was not the elected sheriff when Serna died and touting reforms she has made since being sworn in early last year.
“There have been many changes and an incredible shift in priorities, approach, and processes in our jails since 2019,” Martinez wrote. “As Sheriff I am committed to improving our jail system and ensuring the jails are safe for everyone who is incarcerated and for all our employees.”
The cash payout is the largest ever approved by the Board of Supervisors in a wrongful-death case, the plaintiffs’ lawyers said. San Diego County now has paid more than $75 million over the past five-plus years for deputy negligence or misconduct, sheriff’s records show.
In addition to the $15 million payment, the agreement calls for the Sheriff’s Department to conduct new training for deputies and jail medical staff. At least some of the remedial education will focus on what is called “training on compassion” for department employees.
The resolution also calls on the sheriff to update the policy on checking vital signs of people incarcerated in the medical observation unit.
It further requires Martinez to meet personally with Elisa’s parents, Michael and Paloma Serna, who have become fierce advocates for reform in the years since their daughter died.
Paloma Serna said the cash payment was not the driving force in her decision to settle the case. She said she wants to keep fighting for reforms inside the Sheriff’s Department.
“The dollar amount doesn’t matter,” said Serna, who plans to continue to advocate for other men and women in sheriff’s custody. “These things do not change the fact that Elisa is never coming …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
