Judge dismisses Cass County jail death lawsuit; family to appeal

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit over the death of an inmate at the Cass County Jail.

In the early morning hours of December 18, 2020, Luke Laducer called 911 and told authorities he was suicidal.

Documents say Fargo police took Laducer to Essentia Health for medical care. He was later released and booked into the county jail on an outstanding warrant. He died in his cell 17 hours after his initial call to authorities.

Medical examiners later ruled that Laducer died of hemorrhagic gastritis and colitis, bleeding to death. The documents say investigators found bloody feces in the bathroom and on the floor and walls of the cell.

The family of the then 41-year-old Army veteran. filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court against Cass County, Sheriff Jesse Jahner, Essentia Health, and individual county and hospital employees, although they later dismissed Essentia from the lawsuit. The family said the defendants denied Laducer medical care that could have saved his life.

However, court records show that North Dakota U.S. District Judge Peter Welte entered a summary judgment against the family on Monday, October 21. On Wednesday, the family filed a notice of appeal.

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