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Etowah County Jail successful Gadsden, Alabama (Google Maps).
Left to present her babe connected the level of an Alabama jailhouse ablution connected her own, a pistillate settled her lawsuit against the region she said treated her similar she was "less than nothing."
Ashley Caswell sued Etowah County, the sheriff's office, its jailhouse and officials successful national tribunal successful October 2023 aft she gave commencement 2 years anterior successful the facility. She and her babe survived, but Caswell astir died owed to a placental abruption that caused dense bleeding, her attorneys said.
"I felt they treated maine similar I was little than nothing, and I was terrified my babe and I would die. I decided I had to talk up by filing the lawsuit," Caswell said Monday successful a press release. "It wasn't casual lasting up for myself, but reaching this constituent contiguous lets maine cognize I made the close determination to sue. I anticipation they'll instrumentality steps to marque definite this doesn't hap to different pistillate again."
Caswell accused the region of "deliberate indifference to superior aesculapian needs" and negligence, among different claims. The presumption of the colony were not publically released.
She was arrested successful March 2021 nether Alabama's chemical endangerment law for utilizing drugs erstwhile she was 2 months pregnant. Passed successful 2006, the instrumentality was designed to punish parents who exposed children to drugs, peculiarly meth, astatine a clip erstwhile it was moving rampant crossed the state, according to the Bloomston Firm. However, according to a report by AL.com, the instrumentality has been disproportionally applied to large mothers similar Caswell.
The 62-page complaint alleged denial of prenatal wellness attraction and prescribed psychiatric medication. Plaintiff lawyers said jailhouse officials refused to instrumentality her to a installation astir 65 miles distant that specialized successful high-risk pregnancies similar Caswell's — which had antecedently been communal signifier — due to the fact that the jailhouse "did not person capable radical to transport her there." She was taken to the installation erstwhile she was antecedently large astatine the jailhouse successful 2019, per the lawsuit.
Officials besides refused to instrumentality her to play prenatal appointments adjacent aft week 36 of her pregnancy, she said successful the lawsuit.
"As a nonstop effect of Defendants' actions and inactions, Ms. Caswell's law rights were violated due to the fact that she did not person regular prenatal aesculapian attraction indispensable for her high-risk pregnancy," the suit said.
Jail unit took her to a section infirmary successful September 2021 aft she began having contractions. Doctors said she was experiencing "poor nutrition" and was "highly stressed" owed to a deficiency of slumber arsenic she spent the duration of her gestation sleeping connected a mattress connected the floor. She was forced to slumber connected the mattress connected the level adjacent aft doctors recommended she beryllium fixed a bottommost bunk bed, per the complaint.
Caswell's h2o broke connected Oct. 16, 2021, 3 days earlier she was scheduled to person her labour induced. She told unit she needed to spell to the exigency room, but they told allegedly said she "just needed to prevarication down" successful a compartment successful the aesculapian unit. Caswell spent immoderate 12 hours "constantly screaming from the agonizing symptom and begging for help," the suit stated. Instead of helping her, unit allegedly told her to "sleep it off."
Staff took her to the ablution country astir 6 p.m. connected the time successful question, plaintiff lawyers said. One unit subordinate allegedly stood a fewer feet distant but did not help.
"She turned disconnected the h2o and delivered her babe portion lasting upright connected a factual floor, without the assistance of immoderate aesculapian unit oregon medication," the ailment said.
Caswell aboriginal said it felt similar her assemblage was "ripping apart."
Several unit members came to the ablution country astatine this point. As she laic bare and bleeding connected the floor, a mates unit members posed for a photograph with the babe with the umbilical cord inactive attached, per the lawsuit. She was approved to spell to the infirmary but waited different 20 minutes for the ambulance to come. Paramedics chopped the cord and transported her to the hospital.
Plaintiff lawyers included Pregnancy Justice, the Southern Poverty Law Center and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.
"This colony sends a wide message: A person's carceral presumption doesn't marque them immoderate little quality oregon little deserving of civilian rights," Pregnancy Justice Senior Staff Attorney Emma Roth said successful a statement.
Pregnancy Justice noted that Caswell's attraction is "part of a disturbing signifier of inhumane attraction astatine the jail."
Caswell's issues with cause addiction seemingly continued aft her merchandise from the jailhouse successful April 2022. She tested affirmative for meth successful August of that twelvemonth while she was astir 4 months pregnant and was again jailed connected the chemic endangerment charge.
A spokesperson for the Etowah County Sheriff's Office did not instantly instrumentality a connection seeking comment.
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