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Wife says jail officials negligent in giving him medications, treatment
By Joe Milicia
Associated Press
Published on Wednesday, Jun 04, 2008
The widow of R&B singer Sean Levert filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday accusing county jail officials of neglecting his medical needs.
Levert, a member of the 1980s R&B trio LeVert, son of lead O'Jays singer and Canton native Eddie Levert, died March 30 shortly after he was taken from the Cuyahoga County jail to a hospital.
The Cuyahoga County coroner ruled last week that the Levert, 39, suffered from a variety of ailments and died of natural causes. He had just started a 22-month sentence for failure to pay child support.
Widow Angela Lowe, of Streetsboro, says in the lawsuit that Levert was given only a mattress on the floor of his jail cell and became sleep-deprived, worsening his pre-existing medical conditions. Lowe and Levert's estate are seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Cleveland.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason said he hadn't seen the lawsuit but would defend it vigorously.
Coroner Frank Miller ruled that Levert died from complications of sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs.
Miller, who ruled out foul play or trauma, said Levert also suffered from other conditions, including heart disease, high blood sugar and withdrawal from alprazolam, a drug used to treat anxiety disorders and panic attacks that is better known under the trade name Xanax.
The lawsuit contends that Levert suffered from severe anxiety and that he brought his prescription Xanax to jail but was not given the medication.
''Sean repeatedly requested and even begged his jailers, corrections staff and medical caregivers to provide him with care and his prescribed medication, which they knew he needed,'' the lawsuit reads. ''The Jail staff, the Sheriff's staff, County staff and agents deliberately refused to provide Sean with his medication and care despite his repeated requests.''
Jail warden Kevin McDonough has said that Levert had been sick and guards were watching him because he had been acting strangely. When he started pounding on his cell door, guards strapped him in a restraint chair, McDonough said. Levert's breathing became shallow and he was taken to the hospital. He died less than an hour later.
The lawsuit accuses the sheriff's department of not giving Levert an adequate nursing assessment or mental health assessment and of failing to notify the jail pharmacy of his need for medication.
''Sean was finally seen by a competent medical provider only after his death,'' the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit accuses the sheriff's department of assault and battery, contending his jailers used excessive force when they restrained him.
It also claims negligence, citing jail overcrowding, poorly trained jail staff and other factors.
Levert and his brother Gerald formed LeVert in the 1980s with childhood friend Marc Gordon.
The widow of R&B singer Sean Levert filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday accusing county jail officials of neglecting his medical needs.
Get the full article here.
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