NSB wins unprecedented settlement for jail suicide against Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman

On March 10, Neufeld Scheck & Brustin clients Margaret Goetzee Nagle and John Eric Goetzee won a $1.75 million settlement from Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman for failing to prevent the 2011 suicide of their brother, United States Coast Guard Commander William Goetzee.  Mr. Goetzee was at the jail awaiting a court date on charges related to a suicide attempt after suffering a stress-induced breakdown.  Through the litigation, NSB and co-counsel Mary E. Howell, Esq., in New Orleans, proved that the Sheriff condoned an unconstitutional practice of failing to supervise suicidal inmates, in violation of the jail’s written policies and the United States Constitution.

Read coverage of the story by The Times-Picayune here.