Imagine being denied essential medical care and forced to endure immense suffering. That’s the reality for Kohchise Jackson, a former Michigan inmate who has been awarded a staggering $307.6 million after a prison healthcare provider refused to approve a medically necessary surgery.
A Horrible Experience Denied Surgery
Jackson spent two years, from 2017 to 2019, incarcerated with a colostomy bag attached to his body. His lawyers argued that Corizon Health, the prison’s healthcare contractor at the time, intentionally denied him surgery to reverse his colostomy simply to cut costs. This decision left him living with a leaking, foul-smelling bag, enduring abuse from other inmates.
“It was a horrible experience for me,” Jackson stated, emphasizing his humanity despite the circumstances. “Shame on you. I’m still a human being at the end of the day.” The jury’s decision clearly indicated that the denial was based on financial calculations rather than medical necessity.
Civil Rights Violations and Profit Motives
The lawsuit, filed in 2019 against Corizon Health (now CHS TX, Inc. after its bankruptcy), alleged severe civil rights violations. Jackson claimed that during his incarceration from 2016 to 2019, he developed a hole between his colon and bladder. This led to waste leaking into his bladder, causing debilitating infections, fevers, nausea, and extreme pain.
His legal team, including civil rights attorney Jonathan Marko, highlighted the profit-driven nature of the healthcare providers. “A billion-dollar company that makes a profit by bilking the taxpayers faced the music,” Marko declared. “The evidence showed the companies spent decades making a calculated decision based on profit that the lives of prisoners didn’t matter.”
The Jury’s Verdict
The federal jury’s verdict included $300 million in punitive damages against CHS TX, Inc., the successor company to Corizon Health. An additional $7.5 million in compensatory damages was awarded against CHS TX, covering the suffering Jackson endured. Dr. Keith Papendick, Corizon’s former director of utilization management, was also ordered to pay $100,000 in punitive damages.
Jackson described his treatment by both staff and inmates as dehumanizing, stating, “I was scrutinized. I was treated like an animal.” This landmark decision sends a powerful message that corporations cannot operate above the law, especially when it comes to the fundamental rights and well-being of individuals in their care.
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