Secured $12.2 Million Settlement in Deliberate Indifference Jail Case Leading to Inmate’s Arm Amputations

Winborn v. Schneider et al, 0:2022-cv-01811

Robins Kaplan LLP attorneys secured a landmark $12.2 million settlement on behalf of a client who suffered from the deliberate indifference of county personnel while he was detained at Scott County Jail in Shakopee, Minnesota leading to multiple severe injuries. The settlement is believed to be the largest amount of its kind in Minnesota to date. 

The case alleged that Terrance Dwayne Winborn's constitutional rights were violated in 2020 when a registered nurse at the county jail failed to provide constitutionally required healthcare to him – an inmate exhibiting severe and obvious medical needs while in custody. The nurse deliberately disregarded multiple warning signs of Mr. Winborn's deteriorating health condition and chose not to provide vital medical care in the critical hours while Mr. Winborn was at the Scott County Jail.  

The consequences were dire. The deliberate indifference by county personnel permitted a bacterial infection to fester within Mr. Winborn's body, leading to a heart attack, purpuric lesions (skin hemorrhages), septic shock, gangrene, eventual amputation of both arms below the elbows, and other devastating and permanent injuries.

Scott County Jail officials failed to report the matter to the Minnesota Department of Corrections within the mandatory 10-day reporting period and allowed the deletion of 39 hours of archived video evidence crucial to Mr. Winborn's case.

Lawyers for Mr. Winborn made and argued a spoliation motion due to the deletion of the video where they asked for one of two severe sanctions, default judgment on liability or a mandatory negative inference. The motion was argued on September 13, 2023. The case was settled before any ruling was issued.