ST. LOUIS — The sister of a 33-year-old man who died after spending three days in the St. Louis jail is suing the city for wrongful death.
The was filed Nov. 7 on behalf of Angela Allen, whose brother Kevin Cavins died Nov. 8., 2020, in a detox cell in the St. Louis City Justice Center.
Allen said in a written statement to the Post-Dispatch that the city has long disregarded her concerns and tried to “sweep it under the rug.â€
“It was a fight to receive documents I was legally allowed to obtain,†she wrote. “There was closed door after closed door when trying.â€
A city spokesman did not return a request for comment on Monday.
Cavins was booked into the jail for a parole violation three days before he died and was treated for opioid withdrawal among other medical issues, according to the suit.
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Jail staff placed Cavins in “tank 9,†a detox cell, with several other inmates. But Cavins soon reported bad reactions to the medications he got from jail medical staff and his condition worsened, the suit alleges.
A jail guard found him unresponsive while lying on a bench in the cell just before 2 a.m. He was pronounced dead soon after.
The jail has seen several recent high-profile inmate deaths, outbursts of violence and claims of poor conditions in recent years. At least 10 detainees have died there in the last 18 months, the Post-Dispatch has reported.
Allen is suing the city along with its medical provider and several staff members for wrongful death and medical negligence, claiming staff were careless in prescribing Cavins medication and ignored his deteriorating health.
According to the suit, a jail clinician noted Cavins reported an “allergic reaction to medication†and “extreme pain that he rated as a 10/10, anxiety, vomiting, and serious bowel issues†before he died.
At one point, Cavins vomited multiple times in a bathroom. In response, a jail guard handed him cleaning supplies and told him to clean the bathroom, the suit claims.
Allen in her statement said Cavins had a son when he died: “My nephew will now not grow up with his father,†she wrote.
The death of a sibling, she said, creates “an empty spot in your heart that can’t be filled.â€
Attorney Mark Pedroli is representing Allen in the case.
Advocates rally outside the City Justice Center in St. Louis for better conditions and transparency in recent jail deaths.
