The healthcare provider for Santa Rita Jail, Wellpath, has agreed to pay a settlement of $2.3 million to the family of Maurice Monk, a man with schizophrenia who died under their care. This sum is part of a nearly $10 million settlement agreed upon for Monk's two children, with Alameda County contributing an additional $7 million, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Maurice Monk's incarceration and subsequent in-custody death have drawn significant attention to the operations of Wellpath at the East Bay facility. According to a KTVU report, body camera footage revealed that for days preceding his death, Monk was neglected by deputies and medical staff, who failed to intervene despite clear indications of distress. His children, Nia'Amore and Kyse Monk, were awarded $2.3 million and $250,000, respectively, in the settlements.
The case against Wellpath intensified as the company faced bankruptcy amid a barrage of 1,500 lawsuits alleging inadequate medical care nationwide. Adanté Pointer, attorney for the Monk family, told KTVU, "Bankruptcy affected the litigation of justice." Furthermore, he pointed out the company's attempt to do the Texas two-step to avoid paying the people they harmed. The bankruptcy court proceedings occurred before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Alfredo Perez in Houston, Texas.
