The family of a Louisville woman who hanged herself in Metro Corrections after she was left unsupervised for several hours while locked in a small “attorney booth” has been paid $1.25 million by the city to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.
Stephanie Dunbar was booked into the jail on November 20, 2021, and died on December 4.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in February, claimed staffers should have been aware of Dunbar’s mental health and medical needs but instead left her unchecked for hours in an unventilated room without water, a toilet or bed.
Dunbar’s family also settled with the jail’s medical providers but the amount is not available under the Kentucky Open Records law.
Inmates like Dunbar are required to be checked on every 20 minutes, according to the lawsuit.
She was locked in the attorney booth for more than 18 hours without access to a toilet and ultimately hanged herself in her soiled underwear, the lawsuit claimed.
The settlement agreement, obtained through open records, stipulates that the city disputes any liability or fault. The case was dismissed in October.
Former Dir. Dwayne Clark, among other officials and officers, as well as the jail’s medical provider were named in the suit.
Source: WDRB
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