Idaho Inmate Given the OK to Sue State After Settlement

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal judge says an Idaho inmate can move forward with his lawsuit against the state even though he's already won a six-figure settlement from the state's prison health care provider.

William Bown, an inmate at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution south of Boise, filed the lawsuit in 2012 after he had a heart attack. Bown contended that the prison guards and the medical care providers failed to realize the seriousness of his condition and sent him to an observation cell instead of calling for emergency care.

Bown says that as a result of the delay in care, he sustained severe and irreversible heart muscle damage. According to court documents, the medical care provider Corizon agreed to pay Bown more than $670,000 to settle its portion of the case. The Idaho Department of Correction has denied any liability in the case, but late last month Winmill said Bown could continue to pursue the lawsuit against the state.