The family of Lucas Bellamy – a man who died while in custody at the Hennepin County Jail two years ago – was awarded a $3.4 million settlement in a civil rights lawsuit filed against the county.

“This settlement is believed to be one of the largest ever reached in Minnesota for a prison death,” said a document filed Monday in federal court.

A civil complaint says Bellamy, 41, told Hennepin County Jail staff ingested a bag of drugs before his arrest on July 18, 2022. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center for testing and he appeared to be “clinically stable.” Health providers advised that he be brought to the emergency department “for any new symptoms of concern.”

A doctor prescribed Bellamy a range of mild over-the-counter medications, but nothing for potential opioid withdrawals. Bellamy had asked for Narcan when he was admitted to the jail, the lawsuit says, but he did not receive it.

Shortly after midnight on July 20, Bellamy became ill and began vomiting in his cell. He had then been in detention for two full days. In the evening, he was doubled over in pain and screaming for help for hours, complaining that “my stomach hurts a lot.”

The lawsuit claims Bellamy was left “crawling on the prison floor as if he were subhuman, as if he were an animal, while he slowly and painfully died from the effects of a hole in his intestine”.

Prison staff never took Bellamy to the hospital or emergency department, despite instructions to seek emergency services if his condition worsened.

A nurse who failed to examine Bellamy’s abdomen while he was exhibiting these symptoms allegedly told Bellamy that she was “not sending him to the hospital tonight” and told him to alert the hospital staff. prison if his condition progressed. While taking his vital signs, she also failed to take his temperature, which the lawsuit says could have alerted staff members to the severity of his condition.

Another nurse who visited Bellamy’s cell on the morning of July 21 noted that Bellamy had asked for “all the medicine he could,” then observed that he was too weak to ingest the over-the-counter medications he had been given. been prescribed. The lawsuit also alleges that this nurse was having a casual conversation with a Hennepin County deputy as Bellamy crawled on the floor in pain. Bellamy was pronounced dead that afternoon.

The lawsuit alleges that Hennepin County, Hennepin Healthcare and four employees supervising Bellamy violated his constitutional rights and acted with “deliberate indifference” to his suffering.

“Mr. Bellamy’s death was a tragedy,” Hennepin County spokeswoman Carolyn Marinan said in a statement. “Our condolences go out to his family and all those affected by his death. Although this litigation has reached a resolution, we remain committed to serving everyone in our care with dignity and respect.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has contacted Jeffrey Storms, the lead attorney representing Bellamy’s family, for comment and is awaiting a response.