MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The attorney for a former youth prison inmate who won an $18.9 million settlement with the state Department of Corrections says the payout is the largest civil rights settlement in state history.
Sydni Briggs tried to hang herself in her cell at the state's youth prison outside Irma in November 2015. Guards saved her but she suffered a brain injury and will require round-the-clock care the rest of her life.
She filed a federal lawsuit last year alleging staff ignored signs that she was contemplating suicide and failed to protect her. DOC officials announced the settlement late Tuesday afternoon.
Briggs' attorney, Eric Haag, says in a statement that the deal is the largest civil rights payout in Wisconsin history. He says Briggs' activated her cell call button for assistance but guards didn't respond for 24 minutes.