LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A western Arkansas county and a health care provider have agreed to a $6 million settlement with the family of a man who died According to a lawyer for the family, the victims suffered dehydration and malnutrition while being held in a local jail.
Sebastian County and Turn Key Health Clinics LLC have agreed to pay $3 million each to the family of Larry Eugene Price Jr. to settle a lawsuit filed in connection with Price’s 2021 death, attorney Erik Heipt said in a news release.
“The size of this settlement reflects the magnitude of the atrocities that occurred,” Heipt said. “We were honored to represent Mr. Price’s family in their pursuit of justice, and we hope this historic outcome sends a powerful message to every prison in America that this kind of blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated.”
A Turn Key spokesperson confirmed that it had agreed to the settlement. The Sebastian County Quorum Court voted to settle the lawsuit last month. A county attorney did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Price died after serving just over a year at the facility while awaiting trial on a charge of making terroristic threats. Price, 51, who had a history of serious mental illness, was being held in solitary confinement at the county facility, according to a lawsuit filed by his family last year.
The lawsuit against Sebastian County accuses the jail and Turn Key of neglecting Price, who ate and drank less for a year, causing his weight to drop from 185 pounds (83.91 kilograms) to 90 pounds (40.82 kilograms).
Prison staff stopped giving Price his mental health medications after he refused to take them and made no attempt to contact the inmate to address his mental health issues, the lawsuit alleges.
Turn Key said in a statement that at the time of Price’s death it was providing medical care and eight hours of psychiatric services per week, but not counseling or acute mental health counseling. It said the center that had a contract with the county to provide mental health counseling did not do so with Price.
“Following Mr. Price’s death, Turn Key and Sebastian County agreed that it was not in the best interest of the patients at SCDC to have a mental health provider other than the medical and psychiatric provider at the jail,” said spokesperson Kenna Griffin. “Turn Key now provides all medical, mental health and psychiatric services in Sebastian County.”
Rodney Price, Larry Price’s brother, called his brother’s death “inexcusable” but hoped the case and the settlement would lead to changes in the criminal justice system.
“While no amount of money could bring my brother back, this victory will help our family gain some closure as we move forward,” Rodney Price said in a statement. “And we hope and pray it will lead to changes in how our prisons treat people in their custody and save lives in the future.”