A Brooklyn federal lawsuit paints a harrowing picture of life-and-death neglect inside the Metropolitan Detention Center, alleging staff there sat on critical test results while a man with a growing tumor pleaded for help. The complaint, filed by the longtime girlfriend of Terrence Wise, says he repeatedly wrote to medical staff asking for his CT scan results and reported coughing up blood as the mass in his chest expanded. Wise ultimately died on Nov. 2 at a federal medical center in Butner, N.C., and his family is now seeking damages for what their attorneys describe as a preventable loss.
Allegations and timeline
Court filings state that a CT scan performed on Feb. 28, 2024 identified a 3.2-centimeter mass in Wise’s chest, yet the report was not promptly addressed, according to the New York Daily News. In the weeks that followed, Wise is said to have filed sick-call requests, chased his test results and complained of chest pain and episodes of coughing up blood. By May 3, a biopsy showed the mass had grown significantly, and defense doctors told the courts that the delays had likely wiped out any realistic shot at curing the cancer surgically.
Missed test results, officials say
Reporting that examined the same court records found that MDC clinical staff conceded the test report was overlooked. They wrote that "the results were somehow missed by the health services department, and the delay was unfortunate," as noted by Rolling Stone. Expert medical commentary included in the lawsuit argues that this lag in responding to the scan sharply reduced Wise’s chances of long-term survival.
Prison staffing and context
Attorneys and judges have for years flagged MDC Brooklyn for chronic staffing and health care problems, a backdrop that lawyers say helps explain how urgent test results can slip through the cracks. Previous coverage detailed long waits for sick call, maintenance backlogs and short-staffed medical units at the Sunset Park federal lockup, which defense lawyers and advocates say make timely care hard to deliver; inadequate staffing and inhumane conditions at the facility have already been extensively documented.
Legal claims and next steps
The suit, brought by Wise’s girlfriend, Philease Martin, and handled by attorneys at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel, accuses the U.S. government of gross negligence, according to the New York Daily News. The Bureau of Prisons has told reporters it deemed the missed report "unfortunate" and has provided staffing figures in court filings, saying that as of June 26, 2026 the facility had two doctors and five nurses and that it was working to shore up gaps identified by judges and advocates.
What to watch
The discovery phase is expected to drag internal medical records and sick-call logs into the spotlight, with depositions of MDC medical staff likely to follow. Civil-rights attorneys and prisoner advocates say the case could ratchet up pressure on both the Bureau of Prisons and the Justice Department to overhaul medical care at the Brooklyn jail, adding legal weight to years of media reports and judicial criticism. Rolling Stone has already cataloged a string of complaints that has placed the facility under intensified scrutiny.
