Jury Awards $3.3M in Joshua Campos Jail Death
Table of Contents
Case Background
On March 4, 2022, deputies booked Joshua Campos into Orange County custody. Medical staff assessed him with severe mental illness, including schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, polysubstance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and hallucinations. Despite these risks, authorities placed him in the general population at Theo Lacy Jail. Regulations under Title 15 required regular safety checks, yet the complaint alleges these were inconsistent and superficial.
Cause
On March 7, 2022, video footage allegedly showed Campos snorting a substance in his cell at 10:07 p.m. He soon displayed signs of distress and became unresponsive. His cellmate repeatedly pressed the emergency button and called for help. Plaintiffs claim deputies delayed their response for roughly ten minutes while Campos was in respiratory arrest. They also allege systemic failures, including improper housing of mentally ill inmates, poor contraband control, inadequate safety checks, and lack of medication compliance enforcement.
Injury
Campos died in custody that night. Plaintiffs Jay and Rosalee Campos, his parents, claimed emotional devastation from the loss of their son. They alleged his death caused loss of companionship, love, and support. They also cited pain and suffering endured by Campos before his death.
Damages
Plaintiffs sought compensatory damages for wrongful death and survival claims, funeral and burial expenses, and pre-death suffering. They requested punitive damages against individual defendants, attorney’s fees, litigation costs, and any other relief the court deemed appropriate.
Key Arguments and Proceedings
Legal Representation
Plaintiff(s): Jay Campos (individually and as successor in interest to Joshua Campos) | Rosalee Campos (individually and as successor in interest to Joshua Campos)
Counsel for Plaintiff: Christian M. Contreras | Humberto M. Guizar
Defendant(s): County of Orange | Sean Kim | Richard Covington | Nathaniel Meza | Zhanna Shrovak | Abelardo Garcia | Joshua Harvey | Lloyd Nguyen | Does 1–10
Counsel for Defendants: Michael L. Wroniak | James Christopher Jardin | Bonnie J. Bennett
Claims
Plaintiffs filed claims for: negligence/wrongful death; violation of the Tom Bane Civil Rights Act; denial of medical care under the Fourteenth Amendment; interference with familial association; municipal liability for unconstitutional policy or custom; municipal liability for failure to train; and failure to protect from harm. They named the County of Orange, several deputies, and Doe defendants as responsible parties.
Defense
The defendants raised multiple affirmative defenses, asserting that the plaintiffs’ complaint failed to state a valid legal claim and that the defendants acted lawfully, in good faith, and with probable cause. They argued entitlement to qualified and absolute immunity, the inapplicability of respondeat superior to §1983 claims, and that no constitutional or statutory rights were violated. They contended that simple negligence is insufficient for federal civil rights liability, that a single incident cannot establish an unconstitutional policy, and that their actions were privileged and in line with established law and procedures.
They further claimed the plaintiffs failed to exhaust available remedies, mitigate damages, or comply with the California Tort Claims Act. Additional defenses included comparative fault, exigent circumstances, waiver, unclean hands, statutes of limitations, laches, and lack of causation. The defendants also challenged the basis for compensatory and punitive damages and reserved the right to assert further defenses as needed.
Verdict
On March 14, 2025, the jury returned a verdict awarding the plaintiffs $1.2 million in damages for the loss of Joshua Campos’s life and $2.1 million for wrongful death, totaling $3.3 million in compensation.
Court Documents
Court documents are available for purchase upon request at Jurimatic@exlitem.com