The family of a man who died after reportedly being “eaten alive” by insects in his cell at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta last year is poised to receive a $4 million settlement.
Six county commissioners voted to give 35-year-old Lawshawn Thompson’s family the award on Wednesday and discussed the settlement in a closed meeting, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
Thompson, who was from Winter Haven, Florida, was arrested in Atlanta on a misdemeanor simple battery charge last June after being found sleeping on a park bench. He was held at the jail because he could not pay his $2,500 bond.
Thompson was living in the psychiatric unit during this time in the facility due to his diagnosed mental health issues. He was discovered dead three months later, which an independent autopsy released in May revealed was due to being neglected by jail staff, USA Today reported. The county medical examiner labeled his death as “undetermined” according to reports. An independent autopsy released earlier this year shows he died from “severe neglect” from jail staff.
National civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, said when Thompson was found unresponsive in his cell, he “was infested inside and out with insects,” per the report.
In addition to the bug infestation, Crump said that factors that contributed to Thompson’s death include “untreated schizophrenia, dehydration, [and] malnutrition.”
Harrowing photos posted by the family’s other attorney Michael Harper exposed Thompson’s filthy cell and the scars on his body and ignited calls for justice. Attorneys say he had insects bites on his mouth, nose, ears and all over his body.
In the months following Thompson’s death, jail officials launched an internal investigation, and three employees resigned.
“It’s clear to me that it’s time, past time, to clean house,” Sheriff Patrick Labat said in a statement dated April 17, adding that he “asked for, received, and accepted the resignations of the Chief Jailer, Assistant Chief Jailer and Assistant Chief Jailer, Criminal Investigative Division.”
And last month, the Department of Justice announced a civil investigation into the conditions at the well-known overcrowded facility, citing “serious allegations of unsafe, unsanitary living conditions at the jail, excessive force and violence within the jail, discrimination against incarcerated individuals with mental health issues, and failure to provide adequate medical care to incarcerated individuals.”
In a statement released on Thursday, Crump said although the family is “satisfied to reach settlements,” more work is to be done. Although the civil case is resolved, the family is waiting on the results of the investigation announced by the U.S. Department of Justice into the Fulton County Jail.
“We will continue to work with the Thompson family — and the community that rallied behind them — to ensure that a tragedy like this one never happens to another family or takes one more life,” the statement continued. “Lashawn’s life mattered, and together we can demand and motivate significant change in his name. That will be the legacy of Lashawn Thompson.”
