The Rikers Island facility has been plagued by countless claims of abuse, neglect, unacceptable living conditions, and more for years, so it’s not too surprising to learn that someone has finally decided to pursue legal action against New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams after a horrific tragedy at Rikers left a 26-year-old inmate deceased.

Reports show that Venus Mendez is the party seeking out the lawsuit against the Mayor and other state officials. In the suit, Mendez alleges that the Mayor and others were negligent in the death of her son, Gilberto Garcia. Garcia was an inmate in the facility when he passed away due to a fentanyl overdose on October 31, 2022.

The negligence that resulted in Garcia’s death was extreme, according to the plaintiffs. For one, Rikers Island guards repeatedly failed to prevent drugs like fentanyl from reaching inmates.

For another, there was a clear lack of supervision of inmates that resulted in the possession and ingestion of fentanyl. Once Garcia took the drug, staff members were ineffective and had a delayed response despite the life-threatening emergency overdose situation unfolding.

According to the lawsuit, the deceased’s brother, Gilson Garcia, was also incarcerated at the same facility at the time of the overdose. As he witnessed his brother struggling for his life, Gilson rushed over and started administering lifesaving measures. While guards stood by, Gilson was performing CPR and attempting to deploy Narcan. According to Gilson, both Garcia’s cries for help were ignored as correctional officers stood by and watched Gilberto pass away.

The law firm representing the plaintiffs further alleges that the city has failed to address persistent issues within the jail, which has contributed to this recent incident. Staff absenteeism, unsafe cell conditions, and delayed medical care have all contributed to the generally unacceptable conditions at the facility.

Inmates Have Rights: Have Yours Been Violated?

Are you currently housed in Rikers? Do you know someone who is currently serving time at the infamous facility?

Here at Bukh Law Firm, PLLC, our team takes the rights of inmates extremely seriously. Everyone deserves the right to have access to basic necessities and to remain reasonably safe from attacks. Inmates should also be allowed to complain or make negative statements about their current housing or living conditions to staff members. Inmates should also be afforded access to medical assistance, especially in an emergency situation. If you feel like your rights or your loved one’s rights are being violated as an inmate, then we want to hear from you.

Depending on what happened, you might have the basis for a lawsuit.

Reach out to us now to talk in more detail about what happened with a reasonable expectation of privacy. Once we learn more about your situation, we can help you determine your legal options and potentially pursue a claim. The more people who stand up and pursue action against Rikers Island facility and other jails, the more likely our representatives are to take action to actually fix the ongoing issues.