New York City has agreed to pay more than $28 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of Nicholas Feliciano, who suffered severe brain damage after he attempted to hang himself in a Rikers Island jail cell as more than half a dozen correction officers stood by.
If approved by a judge, it will be among the largest pretrial settlements ever to be awarded to a single plaintiff in a civil rights case in New York City.
Mr. Feliciano was 18 and had a long history of psychiatric hospitalizations and suicide attempts when he was sent to Rikers in late 2019 on a parole violation.
The Bronx district attorney filed felony charges against three of the guards and a captain in 2022.
Last year, two of the guards pleaded guilty to official misconduct, a misdemeanor, and avoided jail time.
Persons:
Nicholas Feliciano, Feliciano, Rikers
Organizations:
The New York Times
Locations:
York City, New York City, Bronx