las vegas — The family of a Las Vegas man filed a wrongful death lawsuit Friday against the Nevada Department of Corrections after he was killed just days before his scheduled release from prison.
The lawsuit alleges the department defied protective custody rights and housed Jacob Herman, 35, with another man who repeatedly threatened Herman’s life at High Desert State Prison, 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Las Vegas.
This is not the only lawsuit the ministry has been exposed to in recent years. In September, Nevada agreed to pay $4.6 million To settle the lawsuit in which the prison guards were accused He beat a man and left him for dead In 2023.
Herman’s family claims “systematic overcrowding, understaffing, and disregard for protective custody safeguards” led to Herman’s death, according to the complaint filed in Clark County District Court.
“Through this action, Mr. Herman’s family seeks accountability in the hope that no other family will endure such a loss within the Nevada correctional system,” the complaint states.
The Department of Corrections declined to comment, citing active litigation. Staff shortages were a known problem with management, which cited this problem as a reason for the delay Completion of the changes recommended by the state audit ended in March 2022.
Herman pleaded guilty in 2023 to robbery and was sentenced to a maximum of 36 months in prison, according to court records.
Herman was supposed to be housed in protective custody but was instead housed with a cellmate the lawsuit referred to as “King,” an alias. The cellmate was serving a life sentence for murder, robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault, according to the lawsuit.
The family believes King told corrections officers he would kill Herman if Herman was put in his cell, and on July 16, a cellmate told corrections officers he had killed Herman, the lawsuit said.
The family argues that the warden, who is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, and other correctional officers violated Herman’s civil rights by understaffing the unit Herman was in and failing to find and remove the contraband used to kill him.
Herman’s family is seeking at least $15,000 in compensation.