The spouse of Barbara Stillwell, who passed away in 2023 after reportedly overdosing on medications that were supplied to her inside the Lane County Jail, is suing the county and its medical provider, alleging that the government neglected to provide proper medical care and to keep drugs out of the institution.
The county failed to prevent fentanyl and methamphetamine from entering the jail and failed to properly train jail staff to monitor for indications of drug use or overdoses, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Lane County Circuit Court last Tuesday. According to the lawsuit, Stillwell, who was 59 when she passed away, had previously battled addiction but was sober when she was taken into prison.
According to the lawsuit, Mrs. Stillwell died because Lane County failed to provide a drug-free environment, the care and treatment she needed, and the appropriate supervision she needed to keep her safe.
A doctor and two nurses who allegedly treated Stillwell are also named as defendants in the $5 million lawsuit, along with a number of senior staff members of the Lane County Sheriff’s Office who allegedly knew about the jail’s structural problems but did nothing to address them.
Due to current litigation, Lane County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Tim Wallace declined to comment on the case.
Another defendant is Wellpath, a healthcare provider that operates in jails across the country, including Lane County. Following a slew of wrongful death cases alleging that the company failed to provide proper treatment, Wellpath declared bankruptcy last fall, according to an OPB article in November.
Requests for response from many Wellpath representatives were not answered.
According to court documents, Stillwell showed up at the Lane County Jail early on February 7, 2023, after a hearing on a probation violation related to a heroin delivery conviction from 2021.
According to the lawsuit, Stillwell, who did not appear to be intoxicated, admitted to using fentanyl on a regular basis to jail officials throughout the intake process. According to the lawsuit, county employees stated that Stillwell did not exhibit any symptoms of withdrawal but that due to her medical requirements, she would need to be checked in every 60 minutes.
However, the lawsuit claims that during the course of 15 hours that day and night, jail employees only checked on Stillwell three times. According to the lawsuit, Stillwell acquired methamphetamine and fentanyl while in her booking cell during that period and overdosed to death.
According to the lawsuit, Stillwell was discovered the next day at 3:24 a.m., unresponsive and with a feeble pulse. Staff tried to reverse the effects of the overdose by giving Stillwell Narcan a few minutes later, and when her pulse stopped, they performed CPR. According to the lawsuit, she was transported to a Springfield regional hospital before being sent to the McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, where she was declared dead just after 11 p.m.
According to a statement from Stillwell’s husband’s lawyer, Louren Oliveros, no adult in custody should have access to drugs or experience an overdose whose signs are not identified until it is too late. There should never have been this catastrophe.
State politics and government are covered by Carlos Fuentes. You may contact him at [email protected] or 503-221-5386.
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