Filed Date: July 11, 2016
Closed Date: 2019
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On July 11, 2016, the New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, filed this lawsuit in the New York County Supreme Court on behalf of the people of New York. The plaintiff sued Armor Correctional Health Medical Services (“Armor”) under the New York False Claims Act §§ 189(1)(a) and (b), and also alleging that the defendant committed breach of contract and fraud. The plaintiff sought declaratory relief, damages, attorneys’ fees, a permanent injunction barring the defendant from bidding on future health services contracts in New York or engaging in the allegedly fraudulent actions, and an independent monitor to oversee compliance with the current contract. Judge Arlene Bluth was assigned to the case.
Armor has contracted to provide health care services to inmates at the Nassau County Correctional Center since June 2011, and at Niagara County’s jail from December 2012 through October 2015. From 2011 through July 2016, fourteen total deaths occurred at these two facilities, multiple of which were found to be due to inadequate health care. The New York State Commission of Correction’s Medical Review Board found egregious lapses in medical care in seven of the fourteen deaths. A later investigation by the New York Attorney General’s office found that Armor had not met its contractual obligations to Nassau County as evidenced by the following: inadequate self-assessments (or “self-audits”) and inadequate continuous quality improvement processes that would ensure quality of healthcare services; deficient sick call procedures; failure to provide access to medications; inadequate diagnostic services; deficient mental health services; inadequate referrals to specialists; failure to maintain (i) its equipment and (ii) accurate and complete medical records; and inadequate staffing.
On October 4, 2016, the parties proposed a settlement agreement agreement to the court. Armor agreed to no longer seek new contracts in New York for three years and to pay the New York Attorney General’s office $350,000 ($250,000 of which will be distributed to Nassau County as reimbursement for Armor’s contractual obligations). After Judge Bluth approved the settlement agreement, the case was dismissed with prejudice. The case is now closed.
Summary Authors
Justin Hill (2/8/2020)
Caldwell-Brown, Dorothea (New York)
Chesler, Elizabeth R. (New York)
Landau, Lisa (New York)
Schneiderman, Eric T. (New York)
Last updated Dec. 17, 2024, 5:57 p.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: New York
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: July 11, 2016
Closing Date: 2019
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Plaintiff is the Attorney General of New York.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Armor Correctional Health Medical Services (Miami), Private Entity/Person
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Amount Defendant Pays: 350000
Order Duration: 2016 - 2019
Issues
General/Misc.:
Incident/accident reporting & investigations
Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)
Medical/Mental Health Care: