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The family of the late Lashawn Thompson has reportedly reached a $4 million settlement with Georgia’s Fulton County commissioners. As The Shade Room previously reported, the legal matter unfolded after Thompson passed away due to “extreme neglect” during his 93-day incarceration at Fulton County Jail.
Additionally, his family revealed that Thompson was “eaten alive by insects and bed bugs.”
According to CNN, the settlement was reached on Wednesday with a 6-0 unanimous vote. Preston Thompson, the chief of staff for Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett, has since explained additional details regarding the settlement will not be released.
Additionally, Michael Harper, a lawyer for the Thompson family, has shared that the Thompson family will not be sharing a statement.
“The Fulton County Commissioners’ vote speaks for itself,” Harper reportedly told CNN.
The Georgia NAACP, the state’s “oldest and largest civil rights organization,” has since shared its reaction to the settlement. The organization published a report Thursday.
“We believe that this is the first step in achieving accountability for the sudden passing of LaShawn Thompson at the Fulton County Jail. Alongside Mr. Thompson and his family’s legal counsel, Attorneys Ben Crump and Michael Harper, the NAACP will continue to advocate for justice on their behalf.”
Additionally, the organization shared a statement from its state president, Gerald Griggs.
“No one (especially Pretrial detainees) should be required to reside in the deplorable conditions of the Fulton County Jail. The Georgia NAACP will continue to advocate for change, justice, and accountability for the overall prison conditions at the detention center.”
According to Daily Beast, county commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman has remarked on the county plans moving forward. She’s shared that “new policies” will be enacted to protect other Georgia inmates from a similar fate as Thompson.
As The Shade Room previously reported, Thompson was a 35-year-old man from Winter Haven, Florida. He was arrested for a simple misdemeanor battery on June 12, 2022, and held at Fulton County Jail on a $2,500 bail.
“After his arrest Mr. Thompson was placed in the Fulton County Jail. After determining that Mr. Thompson had mental health issues, he was placed in the psychiatric wing of the Jail. Three months later Mr. Thompson was found dead in a filthy jail cell after being eaten alive by insects and bed bugs,” Harper previously stated.
In April, Harper’s law firm shared photos of Thompson’s state when his body was found.
Additionally, Harper and the Thompson family accused Fulton County Jail officials of “notic[ing] that Mr. Thompson was deteriorating.” However, they “did nothing to administer aid to him or to help him.”
“They literally watched his health decline until he died,” Harper explained.
Furthermore, the legal team and family also alleged that when Thompson’s body was found a jail staffer “refused to administer CPR.”
“When his body was found one of the detention officers refused to administer CPR because in her words she ‘freaked out’…”
In May, the results of an independent autopsy revealed Thompson’s cause of death, as reported by The Shade Room. The 35-year-old reportedly passed from “fatal cardiac arrhythmia” brought on by “dehydration, rapid weight loss, severe neglect,” and “untreated schizophrenia.”
“There is no question this is criminal negligence,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump explained in response to the findings. “He was neglected to death. The lack of medication in his body at the time of autopsy means his mental health issues were not being treated at the time of his death… They said it was innumerable the number of bites on his body. It was a literal torture chamber.”
Roomies, please join us in sending continued prayers to the family and friends of Lashawn Thompson.
