Ortiz v. City of Chicago, No. 10-1775 (7th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this CaseA prominent civil rights activist, known for protesting police practices, died in custody about 27 hours after being arrested on drug charges. She was disabled, obese, and took daily medications for ailments, including diabetes, a thyroid condition, hypertension, and asthma. Pursuant to a department policy that prohibits arrestees from taking medications in lockup unless they are taken to a hospital, she had no access to her medications while in custody. When she met with her lawyer about 16 hours into her detention, she could hardly speak, walk, or stand. He told the guards to get her to a hospital; none responded. The district court entered summary judgment for defendants on 42 U.S.C. 1983 claims for denial of medical care and based on holding decedent in custody for 27 hours without a probable cause hearing. The Seventh Circuit affirmed as to the delayed hearing claim, but reversed on the medical care claim. The court erred in excluding expert testimony on causation; there was sufficient notice that decedent needed medical care ,that it would not have been difficult to transport her to the hospital, and no police interests stood in the way of that treatment.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.