WHITE PLAINS — The family of a woman who died while being held in the Orange County jail last year is suing the county and her jail medical contractor for wrongful death.
The lawsuit on behalf of Niki Capaci’s estate was recently filed in federal court by her sister and administrator, Layla Capaci.
The main named defendants are the county and Wellpath, a limited liability company based in Tennessee with whom the county contracts to perform medical operations at the jail, and personnel hired by both.
According to the lawsuit, Niki Capaci was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on May 3, 2023, for violating the terms of her probation. It is not stated what charge she was on probation for. She told jail staff that she needed drug withdrawal treatment because she had recently used drugs.
The lawsuit documents the treatment she received over the next three days and alleges that staff members were indifferent to her medical needs.
Early on the morning of May 6, Capaci was found unconscious in her cell, without a pulse or breath.
Medical staff at the prison began performing CPR, and a summoned emergency medical technician took over that task when they arrived. But the ambulance crew eventually abandoned their efforts due to what the lawsuit calls “prolonged downtime and obvious signs of death.”
According to the lawsuit, an autopsy by the Orange County Medical Examiner’s office listed “acute drug intoxication” as the cause of death, and her manner of death was “accidental (drug abuse).”
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But the lawsuit alleges that the medical examiner’s office failed to properly assess Capaci’s cause of death because it failed to recognize the impact of a drug that was improperly administered to her, and because of the improper management of the recording by the defendants.
In addition to wrongful death, the causes of action listed in the lawsuit are medical malpractice; negligence; negligent hiring, training and supervision; deliberate indifference to serious medical needs; and municipal liability.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, in amounts to be determined at trial, as well as pre- and post-judgment interest and attorneys’ fees.
Neither the province nor Wellpath immediately responded to a request for comment.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Niki Capaci’s family says Orange County Jail was negligent in her death
