Settlement Details
San Diego County has agreed to pay nearly $15 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of Elisa Serna, a 24-year-old pregnant woman who died in jail after a sheriff’s deputy and a medical worker watched her collapse in her cell five years ago. The settlement was confirmed Friday night after extensive negotiations and just weeks before the case was set to go to trial. The federal lawsuit settlement was confirmed by the overseeing judge, as reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune on Tuesday.
Financial Breakdown
San Diego County will pay $14 million, while the Coast Correctional Medical Group, responsible for providing medical professionals in jail, will contribute $1 million.
Background of the Case
Elisa Serna was five weeks pregnant when she was booked into the Las Colinas Detention Facility in Santee, California, five days before her death. She was experiencing alcohol and drug withdrawals and had informed jail staff that she had used heroin hours before her arrest. In November 2019, Serna collapsed in her cell, and a responding nurse failed to check her vital signs, leaving her on the cell floor for about an hour before returning with deputies to begin what prosecutors called “futile lifesaving measures.” The medical examiner determined her death resulted from complications of chronic “polysubstance abuse.”
Legal Proceedings
Earlier this year, the jail nurse who responded to Serna’s collapse was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
Settlement Terms
In addition to the $15 million payment, the settlement mandates new training for sheriff’s deputies and jail medical staff. The agreement also includes a provision for the judge to monitor the sheriff’s department’s compliance with its terms for the next 12 months.
