I work with co-counsel on cases where an institution needs to be held accountable for causing harm. I believe that the civil justice system is a powerful force for compensating individuals and changing institutions.
MEDICAL CARE IN JAILS AND PRISONS
I handle cases for people who have been harmed or killed by the lack of proper medical care in jails and prisons. These cases typically involve decisions made by government employees and private medical providers hired to work in the jail or prison. Some cases involve for-profit companies, such as Corizon and Wellpath, that provide care in jails and prisons across the nation.
Representative cases
Donnie Brown was 43 years old when he was booked into the Coos County Jail to serve a 30 day sentence in November 2013. After 24 days in custody, Donnie was taken to a local hospital, where he died of a perforated ulcer. A federal judge denied the defendants’ motions to avoid a jury trial — Paris v. Conmed Healthcare Management (now Wellpath) (US District Court for the District of Oregon — November 2017)
Kelly Green was 28 years old when he was booked into the Lane County Jail after being arrested on a misdemeanor warrant in February 2013. Even though he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, Kelly was placed in a cell by himself and was not given any mental health medication or treatment. On the morning after his arrest, he ran headfirst into a concrete wall and broke his neck. When he was taken to the hospital several hours later, he had become quadriplegic. He died 10 months later. A federal judge denied the defendants’ motions to avoid a jury trial — Johnson v. Corizon Health (US District Court for the District of Oregon — April 2015)
News articles about this issue
“Special Report: U.S. jails are outsourcing medical care — and the death toll is rising” (Reuters — October 2020)
“Pain and Profits: Sheriffs Hand Off Inmate Care to Private Health Companies” (WBUR — March 2020)
“The Private Option” (The Atlantic — September 2019)
“Booked and Buried: Northwest Jails’ Mounting Death Toll” (OPB — April 2019)
“The Jail Health-Care Crisis” (The New Yorker — February 2019)
ABUSE OF CHILDREN IN THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM
I handle cases for children who have experienced abuse in the foster care system.
Representative case
In 2011, a Multnomah County jury awarded my client the full amount of damages requested after a three-week trial that described the State of Oregon’s responsibility for the abuse he experienced in his foster home. The defense did not appeal the jury’s verdict.
News articles about this issue
“Foster child abandoned, drugged out of state testifies in favor of legislative policies” (OPB — March 2021)
“Oregon’s Broken Foster Care System: What We Found” (OPB — December 2019)
“Oregon’s Child Welfare Problems Persist, Audit Shows” (OPB — June 2019)
“Foster care scandal deepens” (Oregonlive — January 2016)
MISCONDUCT BY POLICE OFFICERS
I handle cases for people who have experienced misconduct by police officers.
Representative cases
In 2013, a Clackamas County jury awarded my client the full amount of damages requested after a four-day trial. In 2015, the Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed the verdict.
In 2014, a federal court jury found that a police officer fabricated evidence against my client after a four-day trial. The defense did not appeal the jury’s verdict.