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Hennepin County settles lawsuit for wrongful death of inmate by paying $3.4 million

By FOX 9 Staff
Published  November 11, 2024 4:38pm CST
Hennepin County
FOX 9

Lawsuit filed in 2022 Hennepin County jail death

The family of Lucas Bellamy, who died in Hennepin County Jail in 2022, has filed a federal lawsuit over his death.

The Brief

    • Hennepin County is paying $3.4 million to settle a lawsuit in the wrongful death of Lucas Bellamy, who died while detained at the Hennepin County Jail.
    • The lawsuit stated Lucas Bellamy pleaded to see a doctor after admitting to swallowing a bag of drugs. He then experienced vomiting, severe stomach pain and could not walk, but those pleas were ignored. He was later found unresponsive in his cell and died.
    • A portion of the settlement will go to the Bellamy family's lawyers, and the rest will be distributed to Lucas's father, mother, sister and son.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Hennepin County has paid $3.4 million to settle a lawsuit for the wrongful death of Lucas Bellamy who was left to die while in custody at Hennepin County Jail. 

What we know

The lawsuit was filed by Lucas's Father, Louis Bellamy. Hennepin County has settled the case by paying $3.4 million. 

Court documents say that $1.36 million of the settlement went to attorney's fees, while the rest went to Lucas's family, including his father, mother, sister and son. The exact amount the family received was redacted in court filings. 

Lucas was arrested in July 2022, and during the process told jailers that he had swallowed a bag of drugs. Lucas was checked out by an emergency room doctor, but was returned to jail with instructions for the authorities to bring him back for any "concerning symptoms."

Over the next few days, Lucas experienced vomiting, severe stomach pain and couldn't walk. The lawsuit says he pleaded with nurses and jail staff to see a doctor, but was only given anti-nausea medication. 

Lucas ultimately died in jail, with an autopsy reporting that his cause of death was a perforated small intestine. 

The lawsuit was filed against three nurses, a guard, Hennepin County and Hennepin Healthcare. 

Hennepin Co. Jail ordered to reduce population

Recently, the Hennepin County Jail was ordered by the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) to reduce its inmate population. 

The DOC said in a conditional license order that the Hennepin County Jail has not met the required ratio of custody staff to inmates, causing a safety risk. 

The order also reported the jail failed to perform the required number of well-being checks and was unable to respond to emergencies in a timely manner. 

The jail has been ordered to reduce its population to 600 by Nov. 14. 

READ MORE: Hennepin County jail ordered to reduce its population, Sheriff Witt intends to appeal

Hennepin County Sheriff Dewanna Witt says she intends to appeal the order and "seek review by a court if necessary." 

The sheriff's office says it has requested the DOC extend the deadline from Nov. 14 to Dec. 5, saying that the timeline is "not realistic when it comes to adhering to the order in the safest and most responsible manner." 

State officials say seven inmates have died between Sept. 2022 and Sept. 2024.