http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/nyregion/rikers-island-lawsuit-bradley-ballard.html 2016-09-28 01:08:04 City to Pay $5.75 Million Over Death of Mentally Ill Inmate at Rikers Island Bradley Ballard was found naked and covered in feces and urine after being locked in a cell at the New York City jail complex for six days. === New York City has agreed to pay $5.75 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from the 2013 death of a mentally ill prisoner who was found naked and covered in urine and feces after being locked in a cell at The settlement in Mr. Ballard’s death led the State Commission of Correction to conclude that the treatment provided to Mr. Ballard by a contractor, Corizon Health, was “so incompetent and inadequate as to shock the conscience.” The commission, which monitors conditions at Rikers and investigates serious episodes, said it found that Mr. Ballard, 39, was deprived of medication for his diabetes and schizophrenia, and even running water in his cell. “Had Ballard received adequate and appropriate medical and mental health care and supervision and intervention when he became critically ill, his death would have been prevented,” the commission said. The city medical examiner ruled that the manner of Mr. Ballard’s death was a homicide. “This was a total system failure,” said Jonathan S. Abady, a lawyer with the firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady, which represented the family with the Legal Aid Society. “I don’t think anyone can recall a case where the abuse and mistreatment was more egregious.” Mary Lynne Werlwas, director of the society’s Prisoners’ Rights Project, said she hoped the settlement would “spark a rigorous review of the cascade of failures and misconduct that caused Mr. Ballard’s premature and painful death.” Settlement papers in the case were filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan late on Tuesday. Joseph Ponte, the city’s correction commissioner, said in a statement on Tuesday: “Bradley Ballard’s death was a tragedy and our hearts go out to his family. We have zero tolerance for the mistreatment of any inmate.” A Correction Department spokeswoman said that for legal reasons, it could not comment on whether any employees had been disciplined. The spokesman for the city’s Law Department, Nicholas Paolucci, said, “The settlement of this tragic case was fair and in the best interests of the city.” He confirmed that the settlement appeared to be the largest ever paid by the city to settle a lawsuit over the death of an inmate in city custody.