A federal lawsuit filed by a former inmate at the Texas County Jail who alleged improper medical care has been settled.
Harry A. Scheina III filed the lawsuit in July 2018 against Texas County and the former county sheriff, James Sigman, alleging that he’d not been provided sufficient medical treatment and had been mistreated after arriving at the jail with a broken jaw.
According to the settlement, Scheina will receive $30,000 and attorneys will receive $76,128 in fees and costs. Texas County remained as the remaining defendant in the case in U.S. District Court in Springfield.
U.S. District Chief Judge Beth Phillips approved the settlement on Dec. 2. Scheina had earlier sought injunctive relief to force the county to provide adequate medical for all inmates at the jail. Phillips denied it, saying he didn’t have standing to force it. Phillips ruled that Scheina can seek monetary damages from the county because it is “the real party in interest,” and not Sigman.