Washington wrongful death – Federal Detention Center settles $880,000 wrongful death claim

July 15, 2009
4:32 am

Justice Seeker

Heather L. Ryan, R.N., C.L.N.C- Heather Ryan is a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant with 15 years of experience in the health care industry. Her expertise in reviewing medical records and assisting lawyers with the determination as to whether legal action should be taken provides an invaluable asset to the newsroom. Medical-malpractice, products liability, personal injury and workers’ compensation are some of the recent areas of litigation Ms. Ryan has focused her efforts on. A member of the Florida Justice Association, Heather maintains a long list of certifications and credentials to support her areas of expertise and stays up-to-date with her clinical knowledge working as an emergency room/trauma nurse, at a Level 1, Adult/Pediatric trauma and teaching institution in South Florida.

Washington wrongful death – Federal Detention Center settles $880,000 wrongful death claim

Legal news for Washington wrongful death attorneys.

Feds settle detainee wrongful death lawsuit filed by grieving family in Washington.

Seattle, WA–The Seattle Times reported, on Tuesday, July 7, the federal government agreed to pay an $880,000 settlement for the death of an Asian-antiquities expert. The expert, 62 year-old Roxanna Brown, died last year at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac. Brown worked in Thailand as the director of Bangkok University’s Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum. She had travelled to Seattle to speak at a lecture at the University of Washington’s Asian art symposium. On May 9, 2008, Brown was arrested in Seattle on a count of wire-fraud out of Los Angeles, California. The antiquities expert was held at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac located in Seattle, Washington. Brown died on May 14 of peritonitis, which was the result of a medically untreated perforated gastric ulcer. Peritonitis is a massive infection and inflammation of the intestines and stomach, considered a medical emergency and left untreated typically results in death.

Taweesin Jaime Ngerntongdee, Roxanna Brown’s son, filed the medical malpractice lawsuit along with a wrongful death claim against the United States government last year. Medical malpractice resulting in the wrongful death of his mother was cited by lawyers representing the grieving Brown family. According to federal court documents filed by wrongful death litigators on behalf of Brown’s family claim, Ms. Brown began to experience flu-like symptoms soon after her arrest. Brown’s symptoms were so severe she once failed to show up for court and had to leave during another court appearance because of the massive intestinal infection she was suffering. Brown’s fellow inmates became worried about her health and sought help from the guards.

However, Brown was never given medical attention. Authorities at the Federal Detention Center have indicated that doctors and nurses were not on duty overnight. The $880,000 settlement resolves all allegations cited in the lawsuit. The federal government does not agree with the claims in the case, but believes settling would be in the government’s best interest.

Legal news report for Washington wrongful death attorneys.