Hennepin County will pay $3.4 million to family of man who died in jail
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The family of a man who died in the Hennepin County jail in 2022 has reached a $3.4 million settlement with the county.
Lucas Bellamy had been in jail for three days in July 2022 when he died of an infection after suffering a perforated intestine. The 41-year-old was the son of Penumbra Theater founder Lou Bellamy.
In a lawsuit filed in January, Bellamy said jail staff were deliberately indifferent to his son’s obviously-worsening symptoms.
According to court documents, Lucas Bellamy’s parents, sister and 11-year-old son will share about $2 million. The rest goes to their attorneys, who say the settlement is among the largest ever in Minnesota for a death inside a jail.
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Last week, the Minnesota Department of Corrections ordered the Hennepin County Jail to reduce its population because of understaffing. The DOC says seven other inmates have died over the last two years.
Bellamy’s family said he suffered for several days and was in agonizing pain. And they alleged jail staff ignored his repeated pleas for help and ignored guidance from medical providers who had treated Bellamy earlier.
“Lucas could have been easily saved with proper treatment,” the lawsuit alleged. “Instead, he endured a real-life nightmare and died.”
Lucas Bellamy had been arrested July 18, 2022, for allegedly fleeing police in western Hennepin County. He was also facing felony drug and firearm charges, a DWI count, stolen property charges and numerous driving violations.
The lawsuit states he told jail staff that he had ingested a bag of drugs. He was taken to Hennepin Healthcare that morning, monitored for a few hours, and discharged with direction to return for any “new concerning symptoms.”
The lawsuit states Bellamy became ill early on July 20, and his condition worsened that evening. Clips of surveillance videos from the jail show Bellamy crawling on his hands and knees. The lawsuit said jail records indicated Bellamy screamed “help me,” complained of stomach pain and asked to be taken to the hospital early on the morning of the day he died.
He was found face-down in his cell at 12:30 p.m. on July 21, and declared dead about 45 minutes later.
Bellamy’s family at the time of death, and when they filed the lawsuit, described him as a smart, generous person and devoted father to his son, whose life was derailed by addiction.
“Lucas was not how he died. He was not his addiction. He was a beautiful soul, whose sensitive heart was often overwhelmed by the beauty and the ugliness of this world,” his sister, Penumbra Theatre President Sarah Bellamy, said Tuesday. “And he did the best he could, for as long as he could, fighting a demon that stranded him away from his loved ones who would have done anything, anything to save his life, and to spare him from such prolonged and excruciating pain.”
MPR News reporter Estelle Timar-Wilcox contributed to this story.
