Man Held For 2 Years Without Trial over DWI. Gets $22MM.


NBCDFW:
A man who spent two years in solitary confinement after getting arrested for DWI was awarded $22 million for suffering inhumane treatment in New Mexico's Dona Ana County Jail.

Stephen Slevin was arrested in August of 2005 for driving while intoxicated, according to NBC station KOB.com. He said he never got a trial and spent the entire time languishing in solitary, even pulling his own tooth when he was denied dental care.

"'[Prison officials were] walking by me every day, watching me deteriorate," he said. "Day after day after day, they did nothing, nothing at all, to get me any help."

Slevin said he made countless requests to see a doctor to get medication for his depression, but wasn't allowed to see one until only a few weeks before his release. He also never got to see a judge.

The $22 million settlement, awarded by a federal jury on Tuesday, is one of the largest prisoner civil rights settlements in U.S. history, according to KOB.com.

"I wanted people to know that there are people at The Dona Ana County Jail that are doing things like this to people and getting away with it," Slevin, who now suffers from PTSD and believes he will have to take medication for life as a result, said. "Why they did what they did, I have no idea."

Neither the county nor Slevin's attorney returned phone calls from msnbc.com, but Slevin's attorney, Matt Coyte, told KOB.com, "I have never been with or seen a braver man who stood up to these guys for what they did to him ... [This case] It affects everybody and it's not good for this country. It's not good for Mr. Slevin for sure and it's not good for this country. It has to stop."

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/weird/Man-Held-in-Soli…

It's utterly terrifying that something like this happened in America. I don't know if there is another side to this story or what it could possibly be.

 
trazer985:
Bradley Manning called, he wants his spectacles back.

On a more serious note: Compared to how we do this in the UK:////

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Alam

not comparing like with like, but compare the money....

It's been my observation that European countries (including the UK surprisingly) are loth to award money in cases of emotional damages, etc. like these.

 

This is my nightmare; getting caught up in the justice system that is too corrupt and inefficient to realize/remedy its mistakes.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 
FutureBanker09:
Call me crazy, and let the monkey ish fly, but I'd gladly spend 2 years in solitary for 22 mill, hell I'd do it for 1 mil

Have you ever been in a bad, depressed space, where you have had no idea of when or if it would ever stop, and had it go on for weeks/months/years at a time with no end in sight? That seems to be the perspective this guy had, so it seems to me more like he had 2 years plus the anguish of not knowing whether he would have to spent the rest of his life in there while he was in the room.

Those cops should've gotten prison time for that shit.

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer
 
seabird:
FutureBanker09:
Call me crazy, and let the monkey ish fly, but I'd gladly spend 2 years in solitary for 22 mill, hell I'd do it for 1 mil

Have you ever been in a bad, depressed space, where you have had no idea of when or if it would ever stop, and had it go on for weeks/months/years at a time with no end in sight? That seems to be the perspective this guy had, so it seems to me more like he had 2 years plus the anguish of not knowing whether he would have to spent the rest of his life in there while he was in the room.

Those cops should've gotten prison time for that shit.

Yeah I have actually, and I would do it again for 1 mill

 

Why is everyone involved in this from the cop who arrested him (and clearly didn't follow up) to the people at the jail, prosecutor, etc not being charged and thrown in prison for a very very long time?

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

Damn. Thats an extremely hard core choice to make. You would sure as hell have earned it. This guy did.

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer
 
Best Response

Quick update: [url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091784/Stephen-Slevin-solitary…] This article in the Daily Mail[/url] offers some more detail about the guy's living conditions and the county's response to the whole incident. My favorite snippet:

CNN:
The county had recently offered to settle the case for $2million, according to CNN, despite previously denying there was a lack of medical care and that, as government employees, county officials deserved immunity from liability.

Edit: Can't seem to get the hyperlink tag to work on the text. Here is the URL on its own: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091784/Stephen-Slevin-solitary…

 

cant believe ppl are saying this is a sweet deal...

"And the last thing, how much do you charge for a career consultation and would you accept a check?"
 
whatwhatwhat:
jaciems:

cant believe ppl are saying this is a sweet deal...

^^^^^^^^^^^ WOULD HAVE HIS HAND FIRMLY PLANTED IN SOME OTHER DUDE'S POCKET IN PRISON/BE A FISH

Pretty easy to look back and say that it's a good deal. It comes down to how much your time, your freedom, and your sanity are worth to you.

 

Ipsam nam consequuntur quod eum. Totam eveniet assumenda dolores ut eum.

Quae voluptas totam quae commodi. Maxime consequatur sequi deleniti cumque. Dignissimos quia commodi dolorem omnis officiis. Voluptas odio odio voluptatem sint modi aut qui. Qui minus veniam voluptatem ipsam deserunt.

Aperiam aperiam voluptatem ea alias optio quasi. Ut fuga repudiandae qui et placeat vel. Animi perferendis aut nostrum dicta sequi.

Facilis alias inventore et provident et. Consequuntur a debitis enim molestias. Et quia dolorem dolorem sed. Quod voluptatum placeat hic dolore nemo. Placeat ut eos ut libero vero quia. Nemo mollitia esse recusandae nihil.

"And the last thing, how much do you charge for a career consultation and would you accept a check?"

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”