Family of inmate who was "eaten alive" by bedbugs in Georgia jail reaches settlement with county

Georgia's Fulton County has reached a settlement with the family of a man who died in a bedbug-infested cell in the county jail's psychiatric wing, the family's lawyers said Thursday. The family's attorneys previously said that Lashawn Thompson was "eaten alive" by bedbugs.

Thompson, 35, died in September, three months after he was booked into the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta. Attorneys Ben Crump and Michael Harper, who represent Thompson's family, said in a news release Thursday that the family has reached settlements with the county "and other unidentified entities."

Thompson's death gained public attention in April after Harper released photos of his face and body covered in insects. The U.S. Department of Justice cited Thompson's death last month when announcing an investigation into jail conditions in Fulton County.

The family is satisfied with the settlements, but the lawyers said in the statement that "we are nowhere near the end of this journey to full justice."

"We will continue to work with the Thompson family –– and the community that rallied behind them –– to ensure that a tragedy like this one never happens to another family or takes one more life," the statement says. "Lashawn's life mattered, and together, we can demand and motivate significant change in his name. That will be the legacy of Lashawn Thompson."

The lawyers said the settlements are for "undisclosed amounts." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday that Fulton County commissioners on Wednesday voted to approve a $4 million settlement but said detailed terms of the settlement were not immediately disclosed.

Thompson was dealing with untreated schizophrenia at the jail, according to an independent autopsy report released by the family, which said he "was neglected to death." An earlier report from the Fulton County medical examiner's office found no obvious signs of trauma on Thompson's body but noted a "severe bed bug infestation." It listed his cause of death as "undetermined."

Department of Justice investigators plan to look at living conditions, access to medical and mental health care, use of excessive force by staff and conditions that may give rise to violence between people held in Fulton County jails, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said last month when announcing the federal investigation.

"The recent allegations of filthy housing teeming with insects, rampant violence resulting in death and injuries and officers using excessive force are cause for grave concern and warrant a thorough investigation," U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia said last month.

In April, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office — which is responsible for the administration and operation of the Fulton County Jail — said there would be "sweeping changes" at the jail after Thompson's death. Sheriff Patrick Labat said at the time he asked for the resignations of the chief jailer, assistant chief jailer and assistant chief jailer of the criminal investigative division, following a preliminary investigation. They all resigned.

Aliza Chasan contributed to this report.

In:
• Georgia
• United States Department of Justice