Spartanburg County and Sheriff’s Office deny wrongdoing
Spartanburg County and the Spartanburg County Sheriff ’s Office have denied wrongdoing in a lawsuit filed by the parents of Lavell Lane, a man who died last year at the county jail, in a response filed Thursday. ● Andy and Beverly Reese filed a lawsuit on April 17 on behalf of Lane alleging he was subject to inhumane treatment that led to his death at the Spartanburg County jail and that employees failed to provide adequate medical care. Lane was found dead in his cell early on Oct. 3, 2022. ● Lane’s official cause of death was Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, according to the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office. The death was determined “natural.”
The lawsuit against the county and sheriff’s office states Lane’s family has undergone mental shock and suffering, grief and sorrow, loss of companionship, and are seeking damages.
Public court records show that the county and the sheriff’s office denied core claims of the lawsuit in a response filed Thursday morning.
The county and sheriff’s office denied claims of gross negligence in regard to Lane’s care at the jail. The defendants also denied assertions that Lane was subject to inhumane treatment and deplorable living conditions which contributed to his death.
The response comes nine months after Lane’s death. Since then, his family has made multiple appearances in public demanding transparency in the investigation into his death.
Documents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division state Lane had a history of mental health issues dating back to 2015, in both South Carolina and New York, where he previously lived.
However, the defendants deny jail staff had knowledge of Lane’s mental state or alleged psychotic episodes on either occasion he was booked at the facility.
The county further states they have insufficient information to respond to the claim that Lane had a “long and well-documented history of mental illness, including a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder (bipolar type), and had received associated treatment with antipsychotic medications.”
“Despite actual and constructive knowledge of this medical emergency, the defendants and their employees rendered no aid. Rather, Lavell Lane was pepper sprayed, moved to a padded cell, and administered two injections of Aripiprazole Lauroxil, a long-acting injection of Abilify Maintena, by medical staff,” the complaint against the county reads.
An investigative summary from the SLED states Lane was pepper-sprayed and tasered multiple times while exhibiting erratic behavior.
The defendants admit giving Lane two injections of Aripiprazole Lauroxil on Sept. 29 - 1064 mg in his right gluteus, and 675 mg in his right deltoid - amounts also reported in Lane’s autopsy report.
However, the defendants deny wrongdoing about how the situation was handled and allegations that medical staff and contractors failed to research, investigate or learn of Lane’s medical history to discern whether the injections were appropriate.
SLED’s investigation into Lane’s death also notes he was administered an unspecified quantity of an antipsychotic medication, the name of which is redacted, the day prior at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.
The coroner’s report states that Lane died of Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, a known, but rare, side effect of anti-psychotic medications.
The lawsuit alleges the jail failed to provide appropriate medical care as statutorily required by the Minimum Standards for Local Detention Centers in the state and the U.S. Constitution. Plaintiffs claim jail staff should have been terminated prior to Lane’s detention due to these failures.
The defendants state that the jail met these standards and deny claims that staff failed to provide detainees with correct medical care under state and federal regulations.
Defendants further deny claims the jail has a history of failing to provide access to adequate medical services to pre-trial detainees, and denies that improper medical care by jail staff has continued at present. The complaint cites prior lawsuits based on “allegedly unconstitutional and substandard medical services,” which the response also denies.
The county admits to narrative details included in SLED’s summary report which state, on Oct. 2, Lane banged his head on his holding cell walls, started punching the air and, after being moved to a padded holding cell, was tased by officers, after which he began “striking out and punching the air for over three hours” and sweating profusely.
However, the defendants deny that no one checked on Lane after he was transported to the padded cell or intervened while he “fell to the floor and died over the course of several hours.” It was also denied that jail staff did not comply with their duty to provide Lane with a basic level of human care.
Efforts to contact attorneys Christopher Pracht, representing the Lane family, and A. Todd Darwin, representing the county and Sheriff’s office, for comment were not immediately successful.
Chalmers Rogland covers public safety for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and The Greenville News. He can be reached by email at crogland@shj.com.