This article originally reported that a county spokesman told NBC 7 that the department had fired some of the deputies involved in the incident, which was incorrect. In fact, the county and the named sheriff’s deputies in the lawsuit were dismissed from the lawsuit. — Ed.
.A woman under the influence of drugs who blinded herself in jail while a deputy watched will receive $4.35 million in a settlement with San Diego County, her lawyer said.
Tanya Suarez had sued the county alleging jail staff failed to protect her from harming herself after she was arrested in 2019, according to a published report.
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Suarez was arrested after police found her wandering outside a San Ysidro motel, where she had allegedly used drugs. When she was taken into custody at the Las Colinas women’s jail in Santee, she was acting oddly and clawing at her eyes, according to jail paperwork, and staff placed her in a cell by herself.
Suarez said in her lawsuit that a deputy was watching as she tried to remove her eyeball and failed to intervene after she succeeded.
Suarez said the money will help her work toward living more independently. Danielle Pena, her lawyer, said she hopes to see more accountability.
A sheriff's department spokesperson said the settlement can't erase the pain and extended its sympathy to Suarez and her family.
A county spokesman sent NBC 7 a statement following the settlement.
"As part of the settlement, the county and the named sheriff’s deputies in the lawsuit were dismissed and there was no finding of liability or admission of any improper conduct," Michael Workman, the county's communication office director, stated in an email.
Inmate deaths in San Diego County jails have ranked among the highest in California for the past 15 years and according to an independent review released by the state auditor earlier this year, authorities have consistently failed to address the problem.
The report found the San Diego County Sheriff's Office failed to adequately assess inmates' physical and mental health and intervene adequately in emergencies. The department said it has since adopted measures to address the problem but the deaths have continued at a record pace.
Reached for comment, Suarez's attorney, Danielle Pena, sent NBC 7 the following statement, which read in part:
A settlement of this magnitude involving a self-injury incident indicates that the county is taking accountability for failing to prevent Ms. Suarez from foreseeably harming herself. Because, at the end of the day, that’s what it means to be in the care & custody of the county sheriff’s department. In that same vein, now that the matter has resolved, the county should take corrective action to make sure the right people are in charge of our jails. For instance, in this particular case there was a corporal that did everything in her power to spare Ms. Suarez’ eyesight. Conversely, the watch commander in charge rejected the corporal’s suggestion to restrain Ms. Suarez. Then, following the incident, the watch commander covered up the truth by substantively removing content from the corporal’s report. Piggybacking on that, the watch commander then lied to the IA investigators after the fact. That is not the type of individual we want in charge. I am hopeful the county feels the same way.
In addition, the sheriff's department sent the following statement to NBC 7:
We are grateful the case has been settled, but we know this cannot erase the pain and trauma from this incident or the life-changing aftermath. The San Diego Sheriff's Department sends our sincere sympathy to Ms. Suarez, her family and all who were affected by this horrific and shocking incident.
