Edward N. Cahn Federal Building and United States Courthouse
ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Lehigh County faces a lawsuit over the suicide of a woman who threw herself off the second tier of the county prison.
The Estate of Cheryl Phillips sued the county and PrimeCare Medical in January in county court, but PrimeCare has filed to have it heard in Allentown federal court. The suit says Phillips was denied her medically prescribed Methadone and had detox forced on her despite being a suicide risk.
Despite side effects that forced a trip to the hospital, on Nov. 28, 2022, psychiatric observation was stopped. Two days later, she was allowed to go to the cafeteria on her own.
“(U)pon leaving the cafeteria, (Phillips) climbed two tiers of steps and attempted throw herself off the top tier of the balcony,” the lawsuit says.
“Having failed on the first attempt, (Phillips) then successfully threw herself off the second tier, landing on the floor in an actual attempted suicidal plunge…”
She died days later as the result of blunt force head injury. She had landed on a concrete floor.
All of this could have been prevented, the lawsuit says. Phillips was sent to Lehigh County Jail on Nov. 15, 2022, for a parole violation, and staff incorrectly wrote that she was not under the influence of or withdrawing from drugs, the suit says.
She’d been to the jail before. Her last time there featured a suicide watch. This time, she had taken Methadone the morning before her admission, and further screening confirmed she had used fentanyl within the past month.
Level 2 suicide watch, which includes 15-minute checks and psychiatric observation every 30 minutes, was implemented. A PrimeCare physician suggested she undergo detox, the suit says, but Phillips refused that treatment.
A high pulse and violent vomiting followed while Methadone was withheld, the suit says. On Nov. 21, 2022, she was sent to St. Luke’s hospital for four days.
There, she received treatment for esophageal bleeding and a unit of blood. She returned to jail Nov. 25, 2022, and psychiatric observation was discontinued three days later.
Among the complaints about her incarceration is that Lehigh County failed to ensure mental health inmates are seen by a psychiatrist on a timely basis and to keep them safe.
John Vivian, Jr. and Adam Meshkov represent the plaintiff.
