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Supreme Court Won’t Hear Wrongful Death Appeal

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DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear an appeal by Montgomery County seeking immunity in a wrongful death lawsuit involving an inmate who died in 2012 during a medical emergency.

The Dayton Daily News reports attorneys for the county’s insurance company sought the protection, previously denied by a U.S. District Court judge.

Robert A. Richardson Sr. died May 19, 2012. Attorneys for his estate allege jail employees improperly handcuffed and subdued the 28-year-old man after his cellmate sought assistance. The lawsuit said Richardson was “essentially crushed to death.”

The county’s review concluded jail employees followed procedure and provided basic care. The coroner’s office determined Richardson’s death was an “accident due to cardiac arrhythmia.”

The suit, filed in 2014, had been on hold awaiting appeals and the high court’s decision.