Attorney asks to bar evidence in trial over inmate’s death
When a suit filed by the estate of a Uniontown man who died in the Fayette County Prison goes to trial next month, the estate’s attorney wants to preclude various evidence in the case.
Terry Johnson, 48, died in the prison on Feb. 24, 2007. A forensic pathologist determined he died from peritonitis, which occurred when he developed a perforation in his intestine. The suit claimed Johnson started complaining of pain about 30 hours before his death, and alleged that if prison and medical workers listened to him, he would have survived.
The suit names PrimeCare Medical, Inc., the heath care provider for the prison, former warden Larry Medlock and employees Anthony DelVerme, Kevin Locke and David Skiles.
Attorney Noah Geary, who represent Johnson’s wife, Lorraine, asked that a medical expert for PrimeCare Medical be barred from testifying in the federal trial.
Dr. Arnold Lentnek “has no qualifications whatsoever to offer the opinions he intends to offer at this trial,” Geary wrote.
Lentnek is a disease/internal medicine doctor and opined that there were “significant” levels of cocaine in his blood which would have rendered Johnson unable to reliably communicate the nature and location of his symptoms.
That would have led to a difficulty of evaluating Johnson, Lentnek opined.
Geary argued that Lentnek is not qualified to offer opinions about the potential impact that illegal drugs would have had on Johnson.
For more information, read Tuesday’s HeraldStandard.com.