Inmate’s wrongful death lawsuit against Whitley Jail settled

 A settlement has been reached in the wrongful death lawsuit filed against Whitley County and the Whitley County Detention Center by the family of Ronald Shannon Lawson.

According to paperwork filed last week in U.S. District Court in London, Ronald Lee Lawson and Shawnda Lawson, Co-Administrators of the estate of Ronald Shannon Lawson have agreed to dismiss their claims against Whitley County, Jailer Ken Mobley and former Chief Deputy Jailer Robert O’Neal and jail employees Rhonda Hill, Billy Myers and Steve Claxton.

In addition, Whitley County officials and the jail employees have agreed to dismiss their claims against Health Professionals, LTD. and its parent company, Correctional Healthcare Companies, Inc. against whom they had filed a third-party complaint in May.

Mobley said he did not have any details about the settlement.

Paul K. Croley, II, the attorney for the plaintiffs, said he could not comment on the details of the settlement.

In the lawsuit filed in Dec. 2010 the plaintiffs claim that jail personnel’s failure to properly treat Ronald Shannon Lawson’s diabetes while he was incarcerated in July led to his death.

 The plaintiffs stated that family members notified jail personnel of Lawson’s condition and provided jail personnel with Lawson’s insulin and syringes.

"Given Mr. Lawson’s medical condition, defendants knew or reasonably should have know that Lawson was a medically at risk inmate who required regular monitoring and care," the lawsuit alleged.

However, the plaintiffs allege that jail staff failed to provide the required treatments, resulting in Lawson suffering seizures.

"During these diabetic seizures, Mr. Lawson would frequently thrash about his cell hitting his legs, arms and head against metal and concrete fixtures," the lawsuit alleged.

In response, the plaintiffs claim jail personnel strapped Lawson into a chair in a detox cell.

"Ultimately, Mr. Lawson became delusional, non-responsive and incapacitated," the lawsuit alleged, noting that jail personnel responded by claiming that Lawson was faking in an effort to get out of jail and go to the hospital.

When jail personnel determined Lawson was ill, the plaintiffs claim an employee with no training attempted to administer insulin.

"Said employee sought advice from another inmate prior to administering the dose to Lawson as to the proper method and dosage. Shortly thereafter, EMS was called and Lawson was taken to Jellico Community Hospital where he died from diabetes mellitus."

In a third-party complaint filed in federal court in May, Whitley County officials, Mobley, O’Neal, Hill, Myers and Claxton claimed that jail employees were following policies and procedures set down by Health Professionals, LTD. during their monitoring and treatment of Shannon Lawson.

As part of the agreement between Whitley County and Health Professionals, LTD., Whitley County and the other complainants’ claim that Health Professionals was to assume any liability and defend Whitley County from any such lawsuits.

The Lawsons were asking for damages for Lawson’s "unnecessary" pain and suffering, lost income and earning he would have enjoyed if he had lived, and damages for his wife and children for the loss of his companionship, comfort and support, plus punitive damages.

As part of the settlement, each party has agreed to bear their own legal costs.