Attorneys at Rosen, Bien & Galvan, LLP have filed a federal civil rights suit in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, against the County of Sutter and the Fremont-Rideout Health Group on behalf of the family of Nathan Prasad, who died in January 2011 after falling ill while in custody at Sutter County Jail.
According to the complaint, [h]ad Nathan Prasad not been placed in a jail setting known to be dangerous and ill-equipped to ensure timely emergency medical treatment, and had such emergency treatment been summoned and provided to Nathan Prasad, his condition could have been effectively treated. He would not have experienced severe pain and suffering, and his life would have been saved. Mr. Prasad, who had been arrested on minor, non-violent charges, was just 30 years old at the time of his death.
A Sutter County grand jury report issued on April 9, 2012 found that ongoing problems at the jail clinic may have contributed to Mr. Prasads death, according to an article published in the Marysville-Yuba City Appeal Democrat, Sutter County grand jury cites jail clinic in inmates death.
The RBG team on the case includes Michael Bien, Ernest Galvan, Aaron Fischer, and Kathryn Mantoan. A second Appeal-Democrat story on April 13, Hearing set for Sutter County inmate death complaint, reports that Kathryn Mantoan, a San Francisco attorney who filed the suit on behalf of Prasads family, said she thinks the complaints and findings in the grand jury report are much the same. Our motivating factor is to see that changes really are implemented, Mantoan said, pointing out the jails medical staff practices also drew criticism in an earlier county grand jury report.