Prisons are notoriously dangerous places. However, even prisoners are supposed to have access to a certain standard of health care. A birth-injury lawsuit filed against the Ohio Department of Correction alleges that that care was overlooked in a recent case.
A prison inmate who gave birth while in custody later sued the facility for failing to provide her with proper prenatal care. The inmate, Marquita Nored, gave birth in 2006 to a daughter with severe brain damage and other birth defects.
Noreds’ lawsuit claimed negligence against the state for not taking proper action to deal with the complications of her pregnancy. Nored had a history of high blood pressure and said that prison officials and staff did not take that into consideration.
Noreds ‘daughter, now 7 , has severe trouble walking and performing day-to-day tasks and will need constant care for the rest of her life. The state of Ohio has agreed to pay Nored a settlement of $2.5 million for her daughters’ future care.
