Family files federal lawsuit over Lansing man's death in Clinton County jail last year
ST. JOHNS — The family of a Lansing man who died in the Clinton County Jail in December 2022 has filed a federal lawsuit, claiming staff failed to provide medical care when he overdosed in the hours following his arrest.
On Dec. 13, 29-year-old Christopher Fisher was a passenger in a vehicle that Michigan State Police troopers pulled over for a missing license plate, according to the lawsuit filed Oct. 4 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. Troopers arrested Fisher on a Washtenaw County warrant and took him to the Clinton County Jail. Staff found him dead the following morning.
The lawsuit claims the county failed to properly train jail staff on handling people under the influence of drugs, that staff failed to identify that Fisher "faced a substantial risk of serious harm" and staff failed to provide "prompt and immediate medical attention."
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, along with attorney fees.
Sheriff Sean Dush and Clinton County Administrator John Fuentes both declined to comment. The county has not been served with the lawsuit as of Oct. 30, according to the docket.
In a statement provided through her attorney, Dana Hale, Fisher's mother, noted that the one-year anniversary of her son's death was nearing.
"From a mother's perspective, the grieving process has been unimaginably heart wrenching," she said. "The loss of Christopher has devastated our family. As we try to cope and make sense of our loss, we are left with only questions: Why did this happen? And how can a law enforcement agency allow a young man to die without rendering medical help or assistance? Once again, we will spend our holidays without Christopher. An emptiness that can never be replaced as our hearts will never be full again."
The Fisher lawsuit is the second federal filed against Clinton County since 2020 related to jail deaths and medical care.
Joseph Hehrer, of Ovid, died in March 2019 after spending a little more than a month in the jail, during which he lost 18 pounds and was unable to keep food down, attorneys said in a lawsuit filed in November 2020. Despite repeated requests from Hehrer, officers and nurses did not help him seek treatment, according to the lawsuit, which is still ongoing.
During Fisher's intake process, which started about 3 p.m. Dec. 13, jail staff found among his possessions "a plastic tube from a pen containing a white powdery residue," which attorneys for his family claim is a sign he "may have recently used an opiate or other powdered narcotic substance."
The lawsuit claims Fisher showed clear signs of a serious medical condition or acute opiate intoxication during the jail intake medical screening, but jail staff noted on his intake forms that he didn't appear to be under the influence of drugs.
Around 6 p.m., the lawsuit claims, Fisher's condition worsened; he exhibited "increasing lethargy, slowing arm movements, onset of severe itchiness, increased water consumption, unsteady gait, lack of balance," and he also appeared as if he might vomit.
A few minutes later, Fisher sat down with his head against a wall, mouth wide open and was unable to keep his head up, or stand up without using the wall as support, the suit claims.
At 7:45 p.m., he laid down on his stomach, with his arms under his head, and stayed in that position for more than 12 hours, until 9:36 a.m. the next day when, according to the lawsuit, jail staff found him dead with blood pooling under his head.
A Dec. 15 autopsy determined Fisher died of a drug overdose, according to the lawsuit. He had methamphetamine and fentanyl in his system when he died.
Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at 517-377-1026 or mjmencarini@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattMencarini.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Family files lawsuit over Lansing man's death in Clinton County jail
