A federal jury has awarded a New Mexico man $22 million for inhumane treatment while in solitary confinement in a New Mexico county jail, making it one of the largest prisoner civil rights settlements in history.
KOB-TV reports (http://bit.ly/z4CBAh) that a federal jury awarded Stephen Slevin $22 million for his treatment while at the Dona Ana County Jail.
Slevin was arrested in August of 2005 for a DWI then tossed in jail where his lawyer said he was completely forgotten about for two years.
The 58-year-old man said he was denied repeated requests to see a doctor and forced to pull his own tooth because they would not let him see a dentist.
The DWI charges against Slevin were later dropped.
The county declined to comment after the settlement.
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Information from: KOB-TV, http://www.kob.com
