Family Of Stateville Inmate Who Died During June Heatwave Sues State

The family of an Illinois inmate who died during a summer heatwave at a prison in Crest Hill is taking legal action. An attorney representing the wife of Michael Broadway says Stateville Prison officials handled the man’s medical emergency poorly last June. The suit alleges the defendants violated Broadway’s Eighth Amendment rights, which include cruel and unusual punishment, and they are seeking damages for wrongful death and the estate’s pain and suffering. The day the plaintiff died it was 100 degrees outside and the temperature on the prison floor ranged as high as 120 degrees. In addition to the Illinois Department of Corrections, the defendants in the case include health contractor Wexford Health Sources, the warden, and a dozen other staff members.