TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A federal judge won’t recuse himself from a wrongful death lawsuit that alleges an injured inmate died after languishing in the Tulsa Jail for nearly a week.
U.S. District Judge John Dowdell denied a motion Wednesday filed by defense attorneys who asked Dowdell to remove himself from the case. They cited Dowdell’s partnership with a private law firm involved in another lawsuit against former Tulsa County Sheriff Glanz, a defendant in the wrongful death suit.
The judge said the motion didn’t meet standards to disqualify him from presiding over a trial in the case, the Tulsa World (https://bit.ly/2kCjN6Q ) reported.
“Moreover, the Court does not harbor any bias or ill will toward any party and has no financial or other personal interest in any party or the outcome of this matter,” Dowdell wrote.
The lawsuit alleges Elliott Williams, 37, was ignored by jail staff despite his insistence he was paralyzed.
Williams was arrested in Owasso on an obstruction complaint in October 2011. Reports state that Williams suffered from a “complete and utter mental breakdown” when he allegedly drove his head into the door of a holding cell shortly after his arrival.
The state medical examiner concluded that Williams was dehydrated when he died in October 2011 of “injuries due to blunt force trauma.” The lawsuit states Williams had a broken neck. He died after nearly a week in the jail.
Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalad also is named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
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Information from: Tulsa World, https://www.tulsaworld.com
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