A Gallatin man who was incarcerated and being treated at Nashville General Hospital was beaten to death at the hands of Davidson County Sheriff’s Office deputies, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.
Micheal Minick’s wife and mother, the co-administrators of his estate, filed a lawsuit against several local law enforcement agencies, Corrections Corporation of America, and Nashville General Hospital over Minick’s death. Overall, the suit names 17 individuals and agencies for their involvement in Minick’s death.
According to the lawsuit, Minick, 39, was beaten into a coma by four sheriff’s deputies while being treated at Nashville General Hospital after his arrest.
Metro Nashville Police Department officers arrested Minick on May 30, 2011, after he was found wandering in the woods. Police allegedly used a stun gun on Minick and took him into custody for failing to appear in court for a suspended driver’s license charge. He was later admitted to Nashville General Hospital for loss of muscle mass and severe dehydration.
The lawsuit said a deputy called for backup in the hospital room after Minick became combative. Then, four deputies allegedly beat Minick, who was already in handcuffs and other restraints. The suit claims Minick was punched, struck with a baton and pepper-sprayed during the incident. When nurses came in, Minick was breathless and blue, the lawsuit said. Hospital personnel were able to resuscitate Minick after 20 minutes.
“Once the code team was able to establish a heartbeat, [Minick] was then removed from Room 7104 and placed in the Intensive Care Unit at Nashville General Hospital, where he languished in a comatose state until June 14, 2011,” the lawsuit states.
Less than a month later, Minick, a father of three, died in hospice care. The lawsuit alleges a failure to provide constitutionally adequate care, failure to protect, and cruel and unusual punishment.
Minick’s family’s attorney, Danny Hryhorchuck, of Morristown, didn’t respond to phone calls as of Monday afternoon.
Metro attorney Keli Oliver said local rules prohibit attorneys from talking about ongoing litigation.
Minick, who lived in Gallatin, didn’t have a violent criminal history in Davidson County, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2005 and also was convicted of theft under $500 in 2001.