SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - A company providing mental health services in California jails argues it shouldn't be held liable for the death of an inmate.
Wellpath LLC filed a motion to dismiss Oct. 31 in a lawsuit brought over the 2019 death of John Adena, more than two years after the case was filed in Sacramento federal court.
The suit names several defendants, including Shasta County, individual deputies and employees of Wellpath. They allegedly failed to properly assess and address Adena's mental and medical needs, though the first complaint was already dismissed.
The amended complaint makes an attempt to assert several state and federal claims, though Wellpath argues it should also be tossed out of court.
"Plaintiffs further allege that the Wellpath defendants were deliberately indifferent to 'Mr. Adena's rights, safety and well-being,'" the motion says. "Plaintiffs assert nothing more than boilerplate conclusory allegations that the individual providers were deliberately indifferent or acted with reckless disregard, in blatant contradiction to the actual facts alleged."
Adena was arrested on Aug. 21, 2019, and booked into Shasta County Jail. He was tased for being non-compliant with deputies and taken to a hospital, where he was medically cleared to return to jail.
A fight among inmates occurred, and the lawsuit alleges deputies used excessive force to control Adena because he was ignoring commands. The lawsuit alleges Adena, who was 31 years old at the time, suffered from mental health issues that were part of an arrest on Aug. 17.
He was released despite admitting he had been suicidal, the lawsuit says. The Aug. 21 arrest stemmed from vandalism and resisting a peace officer.
During the second stint in jail and as a result of the inmate fight, deputies restrained him using painful methods, the suit says. Wellpath employees began their evaluation, which included Adena saying he didn't need any "f---ing meds" and trying to run out of the exam room while in handcuffs, leg irons and belly chains.
A Wellpath psychiatrist reported Adena later injured himself in his cell by banging his head into a wall, and Adena was placed in a safety cell. The lawsuit says the defendants failed to properly monitor him, though.
Once he was discharged from his safety cell, Adena reported vomiting and other problems the lawsuit says can be attributed to his head injury. He died later on Sept. 22, 2019, with the lawsuit blaming jail and Wellpath staff for allowing him to be placed in a cell in which he could intentionally injure himself.
The motion to dismiss says Wellpath employees assessed his mental health and medical needs at least 15 times.
"There are no allegations that the Wellpath defendants were ever informed of any further medical or mental health issues - either by Mr. Adena or by custody - between the time he was placed in a safety cell and the time he did," the motion says.