In November 2021, a California man died while under the custody of Santa Rita jail in Dublin, California. In an amended complaint, his family says officials failed to take the appropriate action to save his life, leading him to suffer a “slow, torturous death.”
Maurice Monk, 45, was taken into custody after he missed a court date following an argument with a bus driver over wearing a mask. Monk would remain in jail for 34 days after he was unable to pay his $2,500 bond.
After being taken into custody, the family says deputies and jail staff failed to treat Monk with the care he needed. Monk's daughter and sisters say that the 45-year-old took medication for health illnesses including high blood pressure, diabetes, and schizophrenia. Despite knowing of his health issues, jail staffers and deputies failed to make sure Monk’s health and wellness were assessed and cared for. The lawsuit was initially filed last year but was amended earlier this month and details the harrowing conditions in which Monk was left to die.
The family filed their wrongful death lawsuit in federal court, naming several defendants. Among the defendants are the Alameda County sheriff’s office, 15 sheriff’s deputy employees, Santa Rita jail workers, and Wellpath Community Care.
Wellpath Community Care is a for-profit company that contracts medical care services to several jails throughout the states. The company has also been named in several other lawsuits that accuse Wellpath of providing inadequate care.
The family brings their lawsuit under Title 42 of the United States Code, Section 1983. Section 1983 enables an individual to sue a government employee and others “acting under color of law” for civil rights violations. The family’s lawsuit says that Monk’s civil rights were violated because the jail failed to provide the adequate medical care he and all other inmates are entitled to.
According to Monk’s sister Elvira Monk, she feared for her brother’s health after he was arrested and called the jail to make sure he would be receiving his medications. Elvira “repeatedly contacted” the jail, but officials “rejected” her efforts to make contact and she was instead pushed through a “series of frustrating bureaucratic processes that led to no results.”
The lawsuit paints a grim image of Monk’s final days and is accompanied by still photos captured on body camera footage. The still shots show Monk lying in his jail bunk in the same position for at least three days.
A year after the lawsuit was filed, body camera footage capturing the moment Monk was found was released. The footage shows that Monk was left alone in his cell for three days before jailhouse staff would finally enter. The lawsuit explains that over the course of the three days “jail and medical staff claimed to see his toe move or his chest rise, and so that was enough.”
During the three days, jail and medical staff can be seen dropping food and medicine into his jail cell, but not doing more to check if Monk was actually taking his medication or eating his food.
On the third day, a group of deputies and medical staff would eventually enter the cell to find Monk surrounded by his untouched prescription medication and food. He was also saturated in his defecation and was stiff and not breathing. The lawsuit details that Monk suffered bed sores after being left in the same position for three days.
According to the lawsuit, Monk was housed in a special unit of the jail designated for inmates who were at high risk of health crises. Because of this, jail staff were required to conduct wellness checks every 30 minutes, something the lawsuit alleges did not happen.
In addition to jail staff failing their duty to care for Monk’s wellbeing, the family’s lawsuit says that Wellpath Community Care “failed to prescribe” Monk medication for his schizophrenia, despite jailhouse workers knowing Monk suffered from this mental health condition.
The Santa Rita facility is no stranger to inmate deaths and has been the center of public security for several years. The facility, which houses about 2,000 inmates, has seen over 60 inmate deaths since 2014. While some of the deaths have been attributed to suspected fentanyl use, advocates say that a majority of the deaths have resulted from the jail’s inability to provide adequate medical care, especially to those who suffer mental health issues.
In February 2022, federal judge Nathanael Cousins approved an agreement that put the jail under court supervision for at least six years. In 2023, four more inmates would pass away while serving time in jail.
The family’s lawsuit is seeking general damages, special damages, punitive damages, injunctive relief, and fees and costs.
