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Lawsuit Alleges Jail Medical Contractor Cruelly Withheld Meds From Inmate

Tiffany Eckert

The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon was in Federal Court in Eugene Wednesday, over the inhumane treatment of Roseburg woman while she was in the Douglas County Jail. The lawsuit alleges a medical contractor withheld medication as a form of punishment. 

The ACLU alleges Correct Care Solutions, now known as Wellpath, discontinued inmate Terri Carlisle’s pain meds while she was serving a six month sentence for DUI in 2015.

Carlisle was 57 and suffered from a chronic condition resulting from nerve damage. She was accused of hoarding medication after a cell search revealed a single nerve pain pill for which she had a prescription. The defense argued, as an inmate, Carlisle received appropriate consequences and that “the standard of care was met.”  

Carlisle’s ACLU attorney, Kelly Simon disagreed.

“The defense counsel raised a number of points that they think justifies denying a woman pain medication when she’s experiencing feelings of having ice picks shoved in the end of her toes," says Simon. "I don’t think any of defense council’s points justifies that behavior.”

Federal Judge Ann Aiken advised both sides seek settlement.

The legal team in Carlisle v. Douglas County, (right) Kelly Simon, Staff Attorney with ACLU of Oregon, Daniel Bartz co-council with ACLU and Aliza Kaplan co-council with ACLU outside the Federal Courthouse in Eugene.
Credit Tiffany Eckert

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Tiffany joined the KLCC News team in 2007. She studied journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked in a variety of media including television, technical writing, photography and daily print news before moving to the Pacific Northwest.
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