$4 million settlement for family of man who died covered in bug bites at Georgia jail

Georgia officials approved a $4 million settlement for the family of a man who died in September after being found unresponsive and covered in bug bites in one of the state's largest jails.

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted 6-0 Wednesday to approve the settlement for the family of LaShawn Thompson, Fulton County spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez said. Thompson, 35, died due to "severe neglect" from Fulton County Jail staff, according to an independent autopsy released earlier this year.

Family attorney Michael Harper told USA TODAY he and attorney Ben Crump are preparing to release a statement about the settlement.

“No amount of money can ease the grief of losing a loved one, but we do hope this settlement represents a measure of justice for the family,” Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat said in a statement. “We stand with the Thompson family and their call for the Rice Street facility to be replaced and remain committed to do the work to bring about the necessary reforms so that something like this never happens again.”

How did LaShawn Thompson die?

Thompson was held for three months in the jail's psychiatric wing after he was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge in Atlanta in June 2022. He was found unresponsive in his jail cell Sept. 19 and was later pronounced dead, according to a Fulton County medical examiner's report.

The report listed Thompson's cause of death as undetermined. The report said there were no obvious signs of trauma on Thompson's body, but his entire body was covered in bed bugs and his cell had a "severe bed bug infestation."

"Mr. Thompson was found dead in a filthy jail cell after being eaten alive by insects and bed bugs," Harper said in April.

An independent autopsy found Thompson had "innumerable" bug bites and was not receiving medication for schizophrenia at the time of his death. He also suffered from poor living conditions, poor grooming, dehydration and rapid weight loss, according to the report.

That autopsy determined the manner of death to be homicide, meaning Thompson's death was caused by the actions of another person.

"The cause of death should be listed as complications due to severe neglect with the contributing cause stated as untreated decompensated schizophrenia," the autopsy states.

Thompson's death sparks investigations

The sheriff previously said he requested and received resignations from several executive staff members, and repercussions for anyone found to be negligent in Thompson’s care could come once the full investigation is turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for review.

Natalie Ammons, spokesperson for the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, told USA TODAY after an internal investigation into Thompson's death, officials updated protocols for security rounds, added additional staff to the mental health unit, and transferred hundreds of inmates to other facilities to help relieve overcrowding.

The Department of Justice also launched an investigation last month to determine whether people incarcerated in the jail are subjected to a pattern or practice of constitutional violations.

"During this comprehensive review of the conditions of confinement at the Fulton County Jail, the Justice Department will determine whether systemic violations of federal laws exist, and if so, how to correct them," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY