Jail Captain Denied Immunity, Jury Awards $4M in Inmate Suicide Lawsuit
Table of Contents
Case Overview
Sarah Lieberenz filed a federal civil rights lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 following the death of her son, Jackson Maes, by suicide at the Saguache County Jail in Colorado on November 16, 2019. The complaint alleged violations of the Fourteenth Amendment, claiming that jail officials disregarded clear and urgent signs of Maes’s suicidal condition. Among the named defendants were Captain Kenneth Wilson, various jail staff members, and county officials. The U.S. District Court permitted claims against Wilson to proceed, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals later affirmed that decision.
Circumstances of the Incident
Jackson Maes was arrested while intoxicated and placed in a single-occupancy cell. During his detention, he exhibited clear signs of a mental health crisis—banging his head against the wall and verbally expressing suicidal thoughts. Despite this, jail officials failed to initiate suicide watch protocols or consult mental health professionals in a timely manner. He was left unmonitored for extended periods. At approximately 10:22 p.m., Maes used a privacy curtain to hang himself. His body was not discovered until the following morning.
Failure of Duty and Institutional Oversight
The lawsuit revealed that jail staff did not conduct mandatory welfare checks and that one deputy falsified logs to conceal this failure. Surveillance footage contradicted official reports. Captain Kenneth Wilson was found to have had knowledge of Maes’s deteriorating mental state but failed to take any preventive action. The case exposed significant deficiencies in inmate monitoring, staff accountability, and the facility’s suicide prevention policies.
Key Arguments and Proceedings
Legal Representation
Plaintiff: Sarah Lieberenz – Individually and as Personal Representative of the Estate of Jackson Maes
Counsel for Plaintiff: Blaire G. Bayliss | Sean M. Dormer | Timothy M. Garvey | John Spencer Bryan | George Mills | Megha Ram
Defendants: Kenneth Wilson | Elke Wells | Miguel Macias | Shelby Shields | Dan Warwick | Saguache County Sheriff’s Office | Board of County Commissioners of the County of Saguache, Colorado
Counsel for Defendants: Marni Nathan Kloster | Nicholas C. Poppe | James D. Murdock II | John T. Osgood | Leslie L. Schluter | Andrew R. McLetchie | Eden R. Rolland
Claims
Deliberate Indifference to Serious Medical Needs
Sarah Lieberenz, representing the estate of Jackson Maes, alleged that jail officials exhibited deliberate indifference to Maes’s serious medical and mental health needs in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Complaint asserted that Maes displayed clear signs of psychological distress, including verbal expressions of suicidal intent and self-harming behavior. Despite these warning signs, staff failed to conduct regular checks, initiate suicide watch, or seek timely mental health intervention. This inaction constituted a constitutional violation.
Supervisory Liability
The Plaintiff further claimed that Captain Kenneth Wilson, in his supervisory capacity, failed to adequately train, oversee, and manage jail staff regarding suicide prevention protocols. The Complaint argued that Wilson’s lack of leadership and enforcement of appropriate procedures directly contributed to the neglect and unconstitutional treatment that led to Maes’s death.
Policy and Practice Failures
Official capacity claims were also brought against the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Dan Warwick. The Plaintiff alleged systemic failures within the jail’s operations, including deficient staff training, the absence of standardized mental health protocols, and ineffective supervisory practices. These institutional shortcomings allegedly created an environment where staff could ignore known suicide risks without facing consequences.
Wrongful Death and Emotional Harm
The Plaintiff asserted that the Defendants’ actions and failures directly resulted in Jackson Maes’s suicide. The estate sought damages for Maes’s pain and suffering, emotional distress to his family, and his wrongful death. The claim emphasized that his death was preventable had basic custodial care obligations been met.
Legal Fees and Litigation Costs
The Plaintiff also sought recovery of attorney fees and litigation costs pursuant to applicable civil rights statutes. The claim maintained that the Defendants’ misconduct and unwillingness to resolve the matter early forced the estate into protracted legal proceedings in order to obtain justice.
Jury Decision and Legal Implications
On June 12, 2024, a jury returned a verdict in favor of Plaintiff Sarah Lieberenz, who brought the case on behalf of the estate of her son, Jackson Maes. The court found that jail officials had violated Maes’s constitutional rights under the Fourteenth Amendment by failing to protect him from known suicide risks while in custody.
The jury concluded that Captain Kenneth Wilson acted with deliberate indifference to Maes’s serious mental health needs. Despite clear indications of suicidal behavior, including self-harm and verbal threats, Wilson failed to take appropriate action. Maes ultimately died by suicide while detained at the Saguache County Jail.
As a result, jurors awarded $4 million in compensatory damages to Maes’s estate. With the addition of attorney fees and litigation costs, the total financial liability is expected to reach approximately $7 million.
The court denied qualified immunity for Captain Wilson, allowing the claims against him to proceed. However, it granted qualified immunity to Deputy Elke Wells and Dispatcher Shelby Shields, resulting in their dismissal from the case.
Court Documents:
Documents are available for purchase upon request at jurimatic@exlitem.com