Man arrested after refusing to wear mask dies in California jail, lawsuit says
_fitted.png "A California man died after being incarcerated in an Alameda County jail due to jail staff’s lack of medical attention, a lawsuit filed by his family says.")
A California man who was arrested after refusing to wear a mask died while incarcerated due to jail staff’s lack of medical attention, a lawsuit filed by his family says.
Thirty-five days after being incarcerated, Maurice Monk, 45, died in Alameda County Santa Rita Jail despite his family’s “numerous attempts” to get him “medications he so desperately needed,” according to a lawsuit filed Monday, July 11 by Monk’s daughter, Nia’Amore Monk.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment by time of publication.
In an email to KTVU last November, Sgt. Ray Kelly said any deaths at the jail are “unfortunate.”
“Many of the people who come to us suffer from serious illness, poverty and lack of access to regular external health care in the community,” Kelly said. “We go to great lengths to make sure all people in our custody receive exceptional health care and other services.”
Monk was first arrested last June after a verbal disagreement about wearing a mask on a bus, according to an email to McClatchy News from Ty Clarke, a lawyer for the plaintiff. Monk was brought to jail but released a few weeks later in July 2021.
Subsequently, Monk missed a court appearance for the case, and a bench warrant was issued, according to Clarke. He was arrested again on Oct. 11, 2021 and detained at Santa Rita Jail.
Prior to being incarcerated, Monk had been taking medication for high blood pressure, diabetes and schizophrenia, according to the lawsuit.
During his more than month-long incarceration, his sister, Elvira Monk, provided medical records to jail staff that showed his prescribed medications, the complaint says. She “even brought the medications to the jail.”
She continued contacting jail staff about his medications until November 16, 2021, the day after Monk died, as she was not informed of his death until the day after, according to the lawsuit.
Monk’s death certificate lists “hypertensive cardiovascular disease” as his cause of death, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit says Monk died of “heart and/or blood pressure complication” that resulted from the jail’s refusal to provide him prescribed medications.
The family has not been provided his autopsy report or jail records, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit requests a jury trial and that Monk’s daughter be awarded general, special and punitive damages.
Santa Rita Jail is about 40 miles east of San Francisco.
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Man arrested after refusing to wear mask dies in California jail, lawsuit says."
