RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A federal jury today found that the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department bore some responsibility for the death of a 29-year-old Beaumont man who suffered fentanyl poisoning in jail while awaiting trial for attempted murder, recommending that the dead man’s family receive millions for their loss.
“After a week of trial, a jury unanimously found in favor of the Matus family and awarded $13.5 million in damages,” plaintiffs’ attorney Christian Contreras said. “The trial was vigorously defended by the county, but members of the Riverside community have now spoken, and the county jails need to be reformed to prevent further inmate deaths.”
The verdicts were returned to U.S. District Court Judge Sunshine Sykes in downtown Riverside on Wednesday morning. No future hearings were immediately scheduled, and there was no word on whether the county intends to appeal…