August 16, 2023
Gibson Dunn obtained a six-figure settlement on behalf of Jose Ramirez, a wheelchair-bound former inmate who was assaulted by correctional officers and systematically denied access to facilities due to his disability.
In 2008, Jose Ramirez entered prison as a able-bodied man. Nearly a decade later, he was rolled out of prison in a wheelchair, severely disabled and in constant pain. In the intervening years, Ramirez had two failed surgeries on his hip, leaving him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. After surgery, his repeated pleas for medical care and disability accommodation were always denied, and his complaints were met with indifference and violence. On one occasion, when Mr. Ramirez complained about the poor conditions of his confinement, three correctional officers threw him from his wheelchair and severely beat him. Instead of reprimanding the officers, the prison reprimanded Mr. Ramirez and put him in solitary confinement.
While in prison, Mr. Ramirez filed the following complaint: professional He sued correctional officers and the prison's medical director in the Southern District of New York, alleging excessive use of force and inadequate medical care. Gibson Dunn took over Mr. Ramirez's case after the court denied the latter request in 2018. pro bono following year.
Gibson Dunn's team won a motion to amend the complaint to raise additional claims and persuaded the court to reconsider its dismissal of the defective medical claim. The team also won a motion to compel the release of internal prison documents. After dismissing several witnesses and retaining a prominent orthopedic surgeon as an expert witness, the government sought to begin settlement negotiations, resulting in Gibson Dunn paying Mr. Ramirez $110,000 in July 2023. obtained a settlement amount.
Gibson Dunn's team included attorneys David Kusnets and colleagues Eric Hornbeck, Andrew Freire, and Ina Kosova.
