Family files federal civil rights suit

Thomas died of dehydration in county jail

The family of Terrill Thomas, who died of dehydration at the Milwaukee County Jail last year, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Monday over his death.

The lawsuit comes 31⁄2 months after an inquest jury recommended seven people involved in Thomas’ detention be charged with crimes, and while District Attorney John Chisholm continues to weigh that decision.

The seven jail officials are among 29 defendants named in the lawsuit, including Milwaukee County and Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr., whose office runs the jail. The defendants include eight jail supervisors, 14 correctional officers, Armor Correctional Health Services, and a doctor and three nurses who worked for Armor at the jail.

“The Estate of Terrill Thomas brings this action to hold Defendants accountable for subjecting Mr. Thomas to unconscionable pain and suffering and causing his death,” in violation of the 14th Amendment, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Wisconsin law, according to the suit.

Thomas, 38, was arrested April 15, 2016, in connection with a shooting. At the police station holding cell, he showed signs of acute mental illness.

When transported to the jail, initial screeners recommended his placement in the special needs unit, based on his physical and mental conditions.

On April 17, guards saw Thomas acting agitated and stuffing his shirt and pieces of mattress into his toilet so he could flood the cell. Instead of calling mental health providers, a lieutenant transferred Thomas to the segregation unit, where he was put in an isolation cell that had all its bedding removed and its water turned off.

Those conditions, which violated jail policies, did not get logged so that other shifts would know. The only food Thomas was given was Nutraloaf, which the lawsuit states was too dry to eat without water.

He deteriorated dramatically.

He died late April 23 or early April 24, a week after being put in isolation. He had lost 34 pounds.

The suit claims the individual defendants “acted objectively unreasonably and with deliberate indifference” to the risks they created, and that all their actions — and inactions “were committed with intent, malice and reckless disregard” of Thomas’ rights.

The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

The estate is represented by Budge & Heipt, a Seattle, Wash., law firm, and First, Albrecht & Blondis of Milwaukee.