Family of Ethan Taylor alleges sheriff, jailers, medical contractor failed to follow policies, provide help
A court date has been set for October in a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit filed in connection with the December 30, 2023 death of Ethan Taylor at the Pierce County Jail. Taylor, 21, was a resident of the Offerman area.
The 33-page suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia in July of last year. A court date has been tentatively set for October 8 in federal court. While rumors of a pending case have circulated for weeks, The Times independently verified the information over the weekend by obtaining federal court records through the government’s PACER records system.
Plaintiffs Robert Taylor and Rebecca Lastinger, Ethan Taylor’s parents, and Kayla Herrin and Kyla Thornton, mothers of Ethan Taylor’s children, are plaintiffs in the case.
The plaintiffs filed suit against Pierce County, Sheriff Ramsey Bennett, Jailers Johnny Malone (misidentified as Mizell in the original filing), Clifford Mosley and Germiska McGauley-Miles and the jail’s medical services contractor, Faith Family Practice, LLC, including Dr. Clay Lee, Dr. Jerry Mullis, PA-C Bradley Page and LPN Chanda Shubert.
According to the filing, Taylor was arrested at 9:26 p.m. December 27, 2023 by the Blackshear Police Department on Bowen Road near Southern Crown Distributors on parole violation charges. Taylor was lying in a ditch with a shotgun and a pistol. He was found to be in possession of oxycodone. The parole violation stemmed from the fact Taylor had a criminal record after having pled guilty to cocaine possession in the summer of 2023. He was then booked into the Pierce County Jail.
Taylor was evaluated by Shubert the next day, Dec. 28, and was determined to be in withdrawal from fentanyl. According to records, no medications were prescribed. Taylor’s condition reportedly worsened Dec. 29 to include severe vomiting and diarrhea.
Shubert examined Taylor about noon that day. She recommended and PA-C Page approved prescribing medications for nausea, vomiting, anxiety, tension and an anticonvulsant and anti seizure medication. PAC Page, Dr. Mullis and Dr. Lee reportedly never visited the jail to examine Taylor. Taylor’s condition reportedly continued to worsen and he told Robert Taylor “Daddy, I feel like I am dying” and also reportedly requested medical attention from jailers. At least two fellow inmates reportedly told jailers Taylor needed medical attention. Taylor was eventually moved to a rubber isolation room around 10 p.m. Dec. 29. The case filing says Taylor was unable to stand and had to be carried into the room. Taylor’s family reached out and asked to speak to him, but was reportedly told by jail officials he was in no condition to speak.
(Malone) was the jailer assigned for duty Dec. 30.
At 5 p.m. meal delivery Dec. 29, an inmate reportedly assigned as a trustee said Taylor was not responsive, unable to stand and had vomited so much his hair was matted with it. A last check was made at 7:12 p.m. to deliver medication and fluids.
Taylor was found deceased at 11:17 p.m. in the isolation cell. Sgt. Hunter Griffin of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office entered the cell and started to perform CPR when he observed that Taylor was cold to the touch.
The Times has learned results of an autopsy conducted by the state lists the manner of death as accidental and the cause as an overdose of drugs including fentanyl.
The suit contends that (Malone) and Mosley were obligated by Pierce County Jail Policy to keep watch on Taylor every 15 minutes after he was placed on withdrawal protocols and cites 16 instances over those four hours where no checks were made.
Taylor’s family says they contacted the jail several times over the course of the evening and Mosley told them Taylor was fine. According to the suit, McGauley-Miles repeatedly hung up the phone when Taylor family members called the jail asking to speak to Taylor and she eventually stopped answering calls from them altogether. Malone, McGauley-Miles and Mosley were all on duty that night.
Bennett is named as negligent since both the jailers and the medical contractor were under supervision in his capacity as sheriff and administrator of the Pierce County Jail. The suit also alleges negligence on the part of Faith Family Practice, LLC and its employees for medical malpractice for failure to properly treat Taylor.
All defendants have filed counterclaims and motions to dismiss the action.
In response to the suit, attorneys for Sheriff Bennett and Jailers Mosley and McGauley-Miles claim their acts are covered by both sovereign and qualified immunity, citing the fact there is no specific documentation that either the sheriff or Mosley or McGauley-Miles did anything specific to cause Taylor harm. Specifically noted in the motion to dismiss is that Taylor denied drug use, symptoms or that he was going through withdrawal.
The counterclaim notes Taylor died of 'fentanyl withdrawal', though The Times has not been able to verify that fact. Malone, who was misidentified as Mizell in the filing, moved for a motion to dismiss since he is not actually personally named in the suit, even though he was served with civil papers based on the incorrect name.
The motion to dismiss from Faith Family Practice, LLC, Dr. Lee, Dr. Mullis, PA-C Page and Nurse Shubert contends Taylor was treated with medications and given Gatorade, but alleges Taylor denied vomiting, and diarrhea and a medical examination revealed normal vital signs and no acute distress. No medical records exist that Dr. Lee or Dr. Mullis were ever consulted about Taylor’s case.
In addition to the $10 million, the suit asks for a jury trial, for punitive damages and for compensation equal to the “full value of the life of Ethan Taylor”, attorney’s fees and for “such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.”
Numerous motions have been filed in the case, which will be heard at the Oct. 8 hearing, including motions by the defendants to dismiss the case.
The plaintiffs are being represented by Alex Brown of Brown and Thigpen in Waycross and Brent Savage of Savage and Turner in Savannah. Sheriff Bennett, Mosley, Malone and McGauley-Miles are being represented by Richard Strickland and Emily Hancock of Brown, Readdick, Bumgartner, Carter, Strickland and Watkins in Brunswick.
Faith Family Practice, LLC, Dr. Lee, Dr. Mullis PA-C Page and LPN Shubert are being represented by Richard Wells Littlefield III of Gordon, Rees, Scully, Mansukhani, LLP in Atlanta and J. Caleb Martin of Hall Booth Smith PC of Brunswick.
The Times reached out to the attorneys for all parties in the case seeking comment. Only Rick Strickland representing Sheriff Bennett, Mosley and McGauley-Miles responded.
“We do not comment on pending litigation in federal court,” he said.
Efforts to reach the others were unsuccessful prior to press time.
The incident was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the case file was submitted to Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney Marilyn Bennett for review.
District Attorney Bennett conducted an extensive review of the file and closed the case, determining that no criminal charges were warranted.
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