Confidential Settlement — New Madrid County Jail Suicide (Goodrich)

Walsh Firm was featured in the April 2, 2018 Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly in the case of Goodrich vs. New Madrid County et. al., 1:16-cv-00117-AGF. The case took more than two years to develop and prepare for trial—Goodrich was finally settled before the Federal trial date. Steve Walsh, took numerous video depositions with the most significant being that of Sheriff Stevens who came across as a very nonchalant, “stuff happens” type attitude. The most egregious part of the case was that no jailer was on the jail floor from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.; Ms. Goodrich was brought to the jail around 10:30 p.m. by road deputies who—after processing her and putting her in an isolation cell—left the jail floor around 1:00 a.m. On his video deposition, Sheriff Stevens testified that the scheduled jailer called in sick and the Sheriff could not find another employee to take the shift. When asked by Steve: “Why didn’t you take the shift, Sheriff?” He answered, “I don’t have a good answer—I don’t know.”

This case had been reviewed by two other law firms who both told the Goodrich family they did not have a case and declined to file suit. This is the third jail suicide settlement in four years for Walsh Law Firm. The firm currently has another jail suicide case pending in Federal Court in Cape Girardeau.