The mother of a mentally ill and diabetic inmate who died after sexually mutilating himself while locked in a cell last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against New York City.
Bradley Ballard's mother, Beverly Ann Griffin, filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday. The Houston woman says that "stunning and unconscionable" misconduct led to her son's September 2013 death on Rikers Island.
The Associated Press first reported Ballard's death earlier this year. Documents obtained by AP showed that the 39-year-old Ballard was checked on dozens of times before he was found naked and covered in feces. The documents showed he had tied a rubber band around his genitals.
Prosecutors are investigating the death, which the medical examiner ruled a homicide.
The city's Law Department says it will review the suit.
