2015 COCHISE JAIL HANGING LAWSUIT CAN BE AMENDED, MOVE FORWARD
3rd reported hanging in 5 years at CCSO facilities
Complaint alleges gross negligence by county staff
SIERRA VISTA - A ruling by Cochise County Superior Court judge Karl Elledge on November 9 allows a wrongful death lawsuit involving the Cochise County Sheriff's Office to proceed, but the names of the defendants will be different. Elledge dismissed Cochise County as a defendant in the civil case involving the 2015 death by hanging of Reynaldo Amaya, an inmate at the county jail in Bisbee.
Elledge also ruled that Perry Hicks, the Amaya family's attorney, can file an amended complaint to add sheriff Mark Dannels as a defendant. However, any deputies or detention officers mentioned in the original complaint are not considered defendants, determined Elledge, because they were not named as such in the original complaint or served with the complaint.
Once Dannels is served with the amended complaint the parties will return to court to schedule a trial date and set various deadlines.
======
To read Terri Jo Neff’s original article on the lawsuit click here…
