LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles man sued Los Angeles County after he says was wrongly detained by the its Sheriff's Department (LACSD) and fell gravely ill while incarcerated, according to documents filed Feb. 19 in federal court.
Plaintiff Dominik Garza was on house arrest when he suffered a severe mental health breakdown including suicidal thoughts in January 2020. Garza's family called 911 to assist with his breakdown, and he was held in the Pacifica Hospital of the Valley psychiatric ward for 72 hours.
Upon being released from Pacifica, Garza says he was wrongfully detained and booked into the county jail when he could have gone home and remained under house arrest.
Garza became very ill at the jail and asked unidentified deputies for medical care for three to four days, and was eventually seen at Urgent Care, where he was found to have a 103 degree fever. Garza was sent back to the facility but did not improve. As his conditioned worsened, he again asked for medical treatment but again did not receive immediate attention from deputies, the suit says.
On Feb. 22 2020, Garza was diagnosed with pneumonia. He was released from jail two days later, and his family took him to the USC Verdugo Hills emergency room, where a physician told the plaintiff that he was gravely ill and "should have died" given the severity of his condition, the suit says. Garza was hospitalized for over a month and needed surgical operation, he says.
The plaintiff is suing L.A. County for one count of unreasonable seizure, one count of cruel and unusual punishment, one count of civil rights violation, one count of negligence, one count of false arrest and imprisonment and one count of intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Garza is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, medical fees, judgement interest and litigation fees. He is represented by the PLC Law Group, APC, of Los Angeles.