US county to pay nearly $25 million to family of pregnant woman who died in jail

San Diego County will pay nearly $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of a 24-year-old pregnant woman who died in jail after a sheriff’s deputy and a medical worker saw her collapse in her cell five years ago.

The settlement was reached Friday evening after lengthy negotiations between the county and Elisa Serna’s relatives that took place just weeks before the trial. The settlement was confirmed by the judge overseeing the federal trial, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

“The dollar amount doesn’t matter,” said Elisa’s mother, Paloma Serna, who plans to continue defending other men and women in sheriff’s custody. “These things don’t change the fact that Elisa will never come back.”

San Diego County will pay $14 million (NZ$23 million), while Coast Correctional Medical Group, a company that provides medical personnel to treat people in prisons, will pay $1 million (NZ$1.6 million), the newspaper reported.

Earlier this year, a prison nurse who responded to the scene of Serna’s collapse was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter in November 2019 at Las Colinas Detention Facility in the San Diego suburb of Santee.

Serna, who was five weeks pregnant, was booked into jail five days before her death. She was suffering from alcohol and drug withdrawal symptoms and told jail staff she had used heroin in the hours before her arrest, prosecutors said.

When Serna fainted, a nurse did not check her vital signs and left her on the floor of her cell for about an hour before returning with officers to perform “unsuccessful life-saving measures,” prosecutors said.

The medical examiner determined the cause of death was complications of chronic “multiple psychoactive substance abuse.”

In addition to the $15 million (NZ$25 million) payment, the agreement calls for the sheriff’s department to provide new training for corrections officers and medical staff.

It also allows a judge to monitor the sheriff’s department’s compliance with the agreement for the next 12 months, the Union-Tribune reported.

Following the settlement, Sheriff Kelly Martinez released a statement noting that she was not in office when Serna died and touted the changes she has made since being sworn in last year.

“Since 2019, our jails have seen many changes and an incredible shift in priorities, approach and processes,” Martinez wrote. “As sheriff, I am committed to improving our jail system and ensuring that our jails are safe for all inmates and for all of our employees.”