A $350,000 check got cut in an out-of-court settlement involving the death of Larry Frazier, an inmate from Connecticut who was housed at a Virginia “super-max” prison.
Despite a Freedom of Information Act inquiry from The Roanoke Times, the Office of the Attorney General insisted that “attorney-client privilege,” as well as a confidentiality agreement with Frazier’s family, required that the settlement be kept secret.
With the help of an attorney, the Times then took its FOIA request to the state treasury department. That agency disclosed the amount.
The Times also reported that had Connecticut not agreed to pay an additional $1.1 million, the Virginia settlement might have been much higher.
Frazier, a convicted rapist, repeatedly was shocked with a 50,000-volt stun gun while he was suffering diabetes-related hypoglycemia. His family contended his medical problems made him unsuitable for a super-max prison. Prison officials claimed the stun device didn’t cause Frazier’s death; however, an autopsy showed while the stun device didn’t cause the death, it may have contributed.
The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress said editorially, “Good or bad, the deal was financed by the taxpayers. And the taxpayers should be told when the state uses their money to settle a lawsuit.”