Public Safety · Valley-wide
Lawsuit says delayed care at Clark County Detention Center led to a Nevada man losing his right leg
A Nevada man has sued Metro, jail medical contractor Wellpath and jail staff, alleging an infected leg went largely untreated at the Clark County Detention Center until it had to be amputated above the knee.
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What happened
A Nevada man has sued the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and medical workers at the Clark County Detention Center, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. He claims that slow and inadequate treatment of an infection cost him his right leg. The complaint was filed Friday in District Court on behalf of Brian Haney.
The suit accuses jail health care workers and corrections officers of deliberate indifference to Haney's serious medical needs. It also names Metro, which oversees the jail, and Wellpath LLC, the jail's contracted medical provider. The complaint alleges negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention of employees.
What the lawsuit alleges
An injury already documented at booking
According to the complaint, Haney arrived at the jail on Oct. 23, 2024, with a right-leg injury that was already infected and documented. The lawsuit says medical staff tried to treat it with drugstore first aid supplies, such as acetaminophen and triple antibiotic ointment.
The complaint describes a medical history that included vascular issues, blood infections and surgery on his right leg after a 2022 motor vehicle accident. It also says he was hospitalized at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center from Oct. 8-11, 2024, for a wound infection and cellulitis. He was told at that time that he might need a below-the-knee amputation.
Requests for help
The lawsuit says Haney submitted several medical requests over the course of a month. In them, he wrote that his "leg is bleeding like pudding," that he could barely walk and that he was in extreme pain. The complaint says one of his written requests was simply marked "duplicate."
Emergency trip and amputation
According to the lawsuit, Haney's leg was eventually bleeding onto the floor of his housing unit in the early morning hours, and he was rushed from the jail to a hospital. Two days later, on Nov. 25, 2024, surgeons amputated the leg above the knee, the complaint says. He stayed in the hospital until Dec. 2, 2024, and was then returned to the jail.
Why he was in jail
The Review-Journal reported that Las Vegas Justice Court records show a judge had issued a bench warrant for Haney's arrest. The warrant was tied to a criminal case in which he faced several drug charges. Court records show that case was later dismissed.
A claim of systemic failure
The complaint argues the problem went beyond one patient. It describes a "custom, pattern or practice" of minimizing, delaying and failing to act on serious medical complaints from detainees, and it calls this a systemic failure.
"Mr. Haney did not lose his leg to an accident. He lost it to indifference," Haney's attorneys wrote, according to the Review-Journal. The lawsuit seeks more than $15,000 for each of its four claims.
How Metro and Wellpath responded
Metro declined to comment on the pending litigation, the Review-Journal reported. Wellpath did not respond to the newspaper's request for comment. For more coverage of policing and jail issues, see our public safety section.
What to watch next
- The lawsuit, filed Friday in District Court, is pending, and Metro has declined to comment while it proceeds.
- Wellpath, the jail's contracted medical provider, had not responded to the Review-Journal's request for comment.
- The case includes four claims, each seeking more than $15,000, according to the complaint.
