DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — Wayne County will pay $7 million to settle a lawsuit over the brutal murder of an inmate last summer that was made possible, according to a 7 News investigation, by systemic failures inside the jail.
The settlement, approved by the Wayne County Commission last month, is by far the largest negligence settlement approved by the county since at least 2010.
“Considering the potential exposure of liability, it could have been worse,” said Commissioner Sam Baydoun.
Inmate Thomas Carr, 53, came to the Wayne County jail last July to serve a sentence for a DUI.
But 24 hours after he arrived, he was beaten to death by his cellmate, Claude Lewis, in an attack that jail officials say may have lasted hours.
Systemic failures revealed
Lewis was booked into the jail on a domestic violence charge.
His criminal record showed 8 prior convictions, including two separate convictions for aggravated battery, one for burning or exploding property and another for felon in possession of a firearm, according to charging documents.
VIDEO: Wayne County Jail missed multiple red flags before inmate's brutal death
Despite a violent history, Lewis was placed with Carr who was serving a sentence for a DUI.
A check in the Law Enforcement Information Network—or LEIN—revealed a warning that Lewis “may harm self or others,” was “unable to attend to basic needs or understand the need for treatment” and had been involuntarily committed a year prior.
But Lewis wasn’t placed on the county’s mental health floor, where he would have his own cell and receive closer supervision.
RELATED: Wayne County Jail missed multiple red flags before inmate's brutal death
Lewis’s mother reported calling jail staff the day her son was booked, telling them he needed his psychiatric medications, according to Lewis's attorney Rita Soka. She says her call was never returned.
7 News learned that Lewis himself disclosed his history of mental illness during jail intake, according to sources. Medical staff flagged him for additional mental health screening the next day.
But before it ever happened, Lewis would be accused of beating Thomas Carr to death.
VIDEO: Jail officials blame Wayne County inmate's death on ex-deputy, not broader failures
Sheriff Raphael Washington would blame the murder on the failures of one jail deputy, who was missing from his assignment while the attack took place.
“If the officer did his job, he could have stopped the assault or possibly even rendered aide after the assault,” Washington said at a November news conference about the murder.
Commissioner Glenn Anderson, who voted to approve the $7 million settlement, said the failures that day went beyond one employee.
“I think it indicates there’s a bigger problem there,” Anderson said, adding: “I’m reluctant to say that anything should stop with the one individual that didn’t make the rounds.”
Following 7 News Detroit’s investigations, the family of Thomas Carr filed their lawsuit against the county, based entirely on our reporting.
“It was a heinous death, it was a painful death and it’s one that no person—whether they were in a jail or otherwise—should ever have to suffer,” attorney Vince Colella said in December 2023.
Staggering settlement
The $7 million settlement, awaiting a judge’s approval at a hearing next month, would stand as one of the largest lawsuit settlements in the county’s history.
Of the 200 settlements paid out by Wayne County since 2010, records show the settlement over Carr’s murder would be the largest negligence payout by far.
The second largest, a $4,225,000 settlement paid out in 2021, came following the 2018 death of a jail inmate who, her family alleged, died of cardiac arrest due to poor living conditions inside the jail.
The county is set to cover $5 million of Carr's settlement with its own funds, and its insurance provider will cover the remaining $2 million.
Sympathy for family
Following the settlement, 7 News Detroit requested an interview with the sheriff’s office to understand what policies have changed as a result of the inmate’s murder.
The office declined an interview, but released the following statement:
“In November 2023, the Estate of Thomas Carr brought suit against the County arising from the beating death of Carr while an inmate in the Wayne County Jail in July 2023. Recognizing the tragedy that occurred, the County proposed, and the Plaintiffs agreed, to an early facilitation in the hopes of preventing a prolonged litigation process. After multiple days of negotiations, the parties have agreed to a full and final settlement of this matter. We are hopeful that this resolution brings the Carr family some form of closure and allows the healing process of their tragic loss to begin.”
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.