Camden, NJ – A federal judge has denied motions to dismiss a civil rights lawsuit filed by Christie Figuracion, a pretrial detainee who claims she was catastrophically injured after officials at Salem County Correctional Facility failed to protect her from self-harm despite knowing of her long history of mental illness and suicide attempts.
In a detailed opinion, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey found that Figuracion’s complaint plausibly alleged constitutional violations under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, rejecting efforts by Salem County, CFG Health Systems, and several individual defendants to have the case thrown out.
Figuracion, formerly housed at the Atlantic County Justice Facility, was transferred to Salem County Correctional Facility (SCCF) in October 2023. According to court documents, she had a well-documented history of psychiatric hospitalizations, self-injurious behavior, and required medication management. Despite that history, she was allegedly removed from a monitored unit and placed in general population — where she later attempted suicide.
The complaint describes a sequence of warnings ignored by staff, including repeated requests for mental health care and housing in a supervised setting. On November 8, 2023, Figuracion reportedly left her unlocked cell, climbed a railing, and jumped to the floor below, suffering spinal injuries and multiple fractures that required emergency surgery and long-term rehabilitation.
Court finds sufficient evidence to proceed
Judge Williams ruled that the facts alleged, taken as true at this stage, were enough to support claims of deliberate indifference to serious medical needs under the Fourteenth Amendment. The court also found that Figuracion’s allegations of systemic deficiencies in mental health care at SCCF could support municipal liability against Salem County and its contracted provider, CFG Health Systems.
- Plaintiff claims officials ignored her history of mental illness and suicide risk
- Court says allegations show possible deliberate indifference to serious needs
- Defendants’ motions to dismiss are denied; case proceeds to discovery
Defendants, including mental health professionals Joseph Selm, Psy.D., and Diane DeBlase, APN, argued that their conduct did not rise to the level of constitutional violation. The court disagreed, finding that Figuracion’s detailed account of repeated pleas for help and staff inaction was enough to move forward.
The ruling allows Figuracion’s claims for damages to proceed into the discovery phase, where internal records and testimony will determine whether jail officials and contractors failed to meet constitutional standards of inmate mental health care.
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