PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A lawsuit filed by the family of a man who died after being held in a Northern California jail alleges he contracted a preventable viral infection there when its medical staff denied him critical HIV medication for two months.
His mother, Lesley Overfield, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, handed the arresting officers her son's prescribed medication but he was never administered it, the filing says.
"Medical records show that he was denied his prescribed HIV medication for the entire two months he was detained," the lawsuit alleges.
Overfield's health deteriorated rapidly as his HIV “devolved into AIDS" and he was eventually released from jail and hospitalized, according to court documents.
Overfield's death certificate said he died of encephalitis “and indicated that Nick contracted this virus two months prior to his death,” while he was in custody, according to court documents.
Persons:
Nicholas Overfield, Lesley Overfield, Jan, Wellpath didn't, “, ”, Nick
Organizations:
Court
Locations:
PLACERVILLE, Calif, Northern California, U.S, El Dorado County