Family Files $50 Million Lawsuit Over Inmate's Jail Death

DETROIT (WWJ) - A $50 million lawsuit has been filed by the family of a Michigan inmate who says the lack of medical attention in the jail caused his death.

John Stein, 37, was serving a 16-month to 5-year sentence at Cotton Correctional Facility near Jackson for home invasion and subsequently bringing weapons into the prison. On Sept. 5, as Stein was awaiting release from the prison, it's alleged that he complained to guards about chest pains and requested to see a doctor, but he was returned to his cell -- where he collapsed and died.

Attorney Geoffrey Fieger is now bringing a $50 million lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections and Corizon Health, claiming they are responsible for Stein's death. The lawsuit alleges that despite being alerted to Stein's ongoing complaints of debilitating chest pain, the nurses and corrections officers failed to refer him to a physician or nearby hospital for further evaluation, resulting in his death.

Click here to see the lawsuit (.pdf format)

Two prison health care workers were suspended following Stein's death. The lawsuit claims these two workers knew Stein had a serious and life threatening medical condition, yet were deliberately indifferent to his medical needs.

Neither the Department of Corrections nor the prison have commented on the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit.