Inmate’s mother hopes to pursue lawsuit against jail officials

MUSKOGEEE, Okla. (AP) — The mother of an Oklahoma jail inmate who died while in custody is urging a federal judge to allow her to pursue a lawsuit she filed against jail officials.

The lawsuit alleges Carter County Sheriff’s Office employees were deliberately indifferent to the medical needs of 44-year-old Michael Manos, who was found unresponsive in his cell in November 2015. Manos, who required medication for mental health and medical needs, was pronounced dead at a hospital in Ardmore, about 92 miles  southeast of Oklahoma City.

Manos’ mother, Jeanne Bennett, filed the lawsuit in July 2017. Among other things, it alleges jailers refused to provide Manos with medication before his death, in violation of his constitutional rights.

Carter County officials deny wrongdoing and have asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit.