SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Legal Newsline) - A lawsuit claims a man in custody was severely ill, yet ignored, leading to his death from septic shock.
Sacramento County is facing a lawsuit filed by the estate of Norman Fisher Jr., S.F., and Catherine Dallas Fisher. The suit alleges that 47-year-old Norman Fisher Jr. was denied necessary medical treatment while in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail, which resulted in his death on May 27, 2023.
Fisher Jr. was too sick to complete a medical form after days of vomiting, the suit claims.
"Norman Fisher Jr.'s condition continued to deteriorate over the course of several days," the suit says. "He was too weak to stand up from his bed to use the toilet, and when he attempted to do so he would fall to the ground and vomit."
After finally getting to a medical center, Fisher Jr. was placed on life support and died, the suit says.
The lawsuit is being handled by attorneys Mark E. Merin and Paul H. Masuhara from the Law Office of Mark E. Merin. The defendants include the County of Sacramento, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Jim Cooper, Maxim Healthcare Services, Inc., Shaletha Harris, Suvag Patnaik, Deojanna Ornido, Jacqueline Castex, Niloofar Fadakl, and Doe 1 to 20.
The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California on Jan. 8.