Ex-Billerica Man Sues Over Medical Treatment in Prison
By Lisa Redmond, The Sun, Lowell, Mass.
May 16–BOSTON — A former Billerica man has filed a $9.9 million lawsuit from behind bars against the Middlesex sheriff, the state prison system and other state officials, as well as numerous doctors, claiming he was denied proper health care while behind bars.
In a federal lawsuit he filed last month, Steven J. Huard, who is being held at the Middleton jail, claims that since 1989, he has been chronically ill, including being diagnosed with liver disease.
In addition, he claims that in April 2002, he injured his spine, causing compression of the spinal cord and bulging discs. Two years later, he was hit by a car, adding to his injuries. Then, in September 2005, he fell from a two-story roof, fracturing his ribs and right hip.
A surgeon performed surgery on his right hip with specific instructions that included using a cane, receiving gait training and physical therapy.
Two months later, he was taken into custody by the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Department on charges including assault and battery and resisting arrest, according to the court docket. He was sentenced in 2006 to five to six years in prison, the docket states.
Huard claims that despite having had recent hip surgery, doctors wrongly cleared him to “fend for himself inside general population without so much as any walking device.”
By December 2005, Huard had additional health complaints about his hip, back, neck, and the need for pain management and physical therapy, according to the
lawsuit. When he got to see a doctor, the physician was only authorized to address Huard’s right hip.
Huard claims that his need to see medical specialists has been prevented from time to time due to a conflict in scheduling and the Middlesex Sheriff Department’s refusal to transport him.
In his lawsuit, Huard seeks cash for the neglect he has allegedly suffered and a change in policies and procedures to assure proper health care.
Middlesex sheriff spokesman Michael Harrington said the department’s legal counsel has not yet received the lawsuit, but the department’s standard policy is not to comment on pending litigation.
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