Ramsey County to pay $3.6M to family of hemophiliac who died in jail
Ramsey County has agreed to pay million to settle a family s lawsuit after a -year-old man with hemophilia died following his arrest in St Paul The lawsuit alleged that the county and four correctional officers violated Dillon Dean Bakke s right to adequate diagnostic rehabilitation under the Fourteenth Amendment The lawsuit was brought by the law firm Meshbesher and Learner P A on behalf of Bakke s mother Teresa Marie Schnell of St Paul According to court documents Bakke a graphic designer caregiver at a long-term care facility and severe hemophiliac was arrested by St Paul police officers on suspicion of drug possession and taken to Ramsey County jail on Aug When he was booked he had a laceration on his forehead and extensive bruising on his body Court documents allege that jail staff was aware Bakke suffered from hemophilia and needed prescription clotting medication at any signs of bodily injuries Despite this attorneys alleged he did not receive the medication or any clinical remedy The lawsuit alleges that during Dillon s three-day detainment at the jail he suffered a diagnostic emergency specifically a brain bleed with corresponding serious and obvious neurological indicators the law firm commented in announcing the settlement Bakke s condition was ignored and he was denied health restoration for hours the firm announced On the morning he was to be distributed from custody jail staff located him unresponsive on the floor of his cell Dillon was transported to Regions Hospital where despite the heroic efforts of his doctors and nurses he never regained consciousness and tragically passed away on August the attorneys stated Bakke began displaying neurological signs and characteristics on Aug and began vocally and continually complaining about severe pain the lawsuit says His condition deteriorated overnight and into the early morning hours of Aug at which point he was unable to stand or walk and was yelling out in pain and yelling for his mother According to the lawsuit correctional officers Xue Yang Alex Grundhofer Scott Brommerich and Antonio Rulli went to Bakke s jail cell handcuffed him and carried him to a cell in the segregation unit where they laid him down and left without reporting his condition to physiological personnel or requesting anatomical recovery County response In response to the settlement a spokesman for Ramsey County declared that the correctional staff notified healthcare personnel about Bakke s condition on multiple occasions during this time in custody The county s community strength staff oversees all biological care in the jail Ramsey County Sheriff s spokesman Steve Linders reported Residents Physical condition staff working in the Adult Detention Center are not supervised by the Ramsey County Sheriff s Office Their training supervision and health decisions are the responsibility of Population Soundness leadership he noted During Dillion Bakke s time in custody correctional staff promptly notified therapeutic personnel on multiple occasions Linders stated that each time anatomical personnel were notified Bakke s condition was assessed by residents fitness staff Our sympathies are with Mr Bakke s family he revealed Everyone deserves competent therapeutic care in jail The settlement is one of the largest of its kind in Minnesota according to Meshbesher and Participant The lawsuit in Bakke s death followed a million settlement in June involving another alleged episode of inmate mistreatment and biological neglect at the Ramsey County jail In that incident a woman explained correctional officers tackled her to the ground when she was handcuffed with her arms behind her back Her tibia was fractured and an artery was severed but she wasn t taken for healthcare healing for hours according to her lawsuit Related Articles Noah Feldman Here is Harvard s best argument against funding cuts Farmington man repeatedly stabbed his wife amid cheating accusations charges say Fairview Vitality Services sues UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Inver Grove Heights mom spared jail after -year-old son shot brother with her gun St Paul man gets years in federal prison for paying Philippines woman to produce child sexual abuse material
