New York City has agreed to pay nearly $5.2 million to settle lawsuits brought by the families of two men who died of methadone overdoses while detained at Rikers Island. The payouts — about $2.7 million for Jose Mejia Martinez and $2.4 million for Jonny Ruben Ubiera — resolve claims that correction officers failed to get the men timely medical care. The deals pile onto a growing bill the city is facing over deaths and alleged neglect inside its notorious jail complex.
Settlement details and court records
City lawyers quietly signed off on the agreements this spring, resolving federal lawsuits stemming from deaths at the George R. Vierno Center on Rikers Island, according to THE CITY. The settlement figures — roughly $2.7 million for Mejia Martinez and $2.4 million for Ubiera — line up with court filings, and an order in the Mejia case shows the action was conditionally discontinued on Dec. 19, 2025. Records on Justia indicate the parties were given 30 days to file a stipulation of settlement and dismissal.
State review found failures to get medical care
The New York State Attorney General’s Office reviewed the death of Mejia Martinez and concluded that a correction officer “failed to perform his duty to obtain medical care,” though investigators said prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the omission caused the death and closed the matter without criminal charges. A New York State Attorney General report lays out surveillance footage and staff statements showing Mejia Martinez staggering in a dayroom and later being placed back in his cell, where he was eventually found unresponsive. Those findings helped shape the family’s lawsuit alleging that his death was preventable neglect.
Overdose crisis inside the jails
Advocates and oversight bodies have long warned of a worsening overdose problem behind the jail fences. New data from Correctional Health Services showed at least 431 overdoses or suspected overdoses in city jails between January 2021 and June 2022, according to NY1. The New York City Board of Correction has repeatedly flagged drug-related deaths — including methadone intoxication — in its reviews. Against that backdrop, family lawyers argue the settlements highlight systemic lapses in how the jails monitor medication, respond to medical emergencies and supervise housing areas.
What city financial records show
The settlements also fold into a broader rise in litigation costs the city tracks each year. The New York City Comptroller’s Annual Claims Report shows the city resolved 13,227 claims in fiscal year 2023 and paid roughly $1.45 billion in settlements and judgments, and it lists Department of Correction claim payouts of about $38.0 million for that year. Data from the New York City Comptroller also note a sharp rise in DOC claims filed in FY2023, underscoring how safety and medical failures inside the jails show up later as legal and budget headaches.
Families react and legal stakes
Family lawyers described the payments as a painful confirmation of deeper problems rather than a victory. “These settlements reflect the devastating consequences of a correctional system that repeatedly failed two vulnerable men in its custody,” family attorney Julia Kuan told THE CITY. The civil agreements settle the families’ claims for damages but leave open broader questions about staffing levels, medical screening and protocols for dispensing and monitoring medications like methadone inside city jails.
What comes next
Advocates say the settlements should add urgency to reforms already urged by oversight bodies and outside monitors, from stronger medical triage and clearer medication controls to more consistent staffing in housing units. For the families, the checks do not erase the loss. Their attorneys say they hope the cases help push tighter oversight and real change inside Rikers Island, so that two more names are not added to the next lawsuit and the next multimillion-dollar tab.
