$2.5 million settlement approved in Greenville Co. jail death case

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – The US District Court approved a $2.5 million settlement to the family of a man who died in the custody of the Greenville County Detention Center.

Community activist Bruce Wilson assisted the family of Kenneth Tucker in seeking legal counsel for Tucker’s death in the case Tucker v. Greenville County and Prisma Health-Upstate, C.A. No. 2:22-cv-2389, in the U.S. District Court for South Carolina.

The Plaintiff was represented by W. Grady Jordan of Smith Jordan, P.A., and David R. Price, Jr., and Samuel B. Tooker of David R. Price, Jr., P.A.

According to the Complaint, the detention center staff failed to provide necessary medical care to Tucker while he was in custody. Evidence discovered by Plaintiff’s counsel showed that, after arriving at the GCDC during an apparent mental health crisis, Tucker lost close to 36 pounds during the seventeen days he was in custody and was severely dehydrated at the time of his death.

A pathology expert opined that severe dehydration caused Tucker to suffer pulmonary thromboembolism from deep venous thrombosis, which resulted in his death.

The plaintiff’s counsel argued that proper mental health care and subsequent medical care would have avoided Tucker’s death.

The settlement includes $2,050,000 paid by or on behalf of Greenville County.

Greenville County Council voted to pay $750,000 of County funds as the GCDC purchased only $1.2M of professional liability coverage.

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