Davis v. Oregon County
Davis v....(U.S. 8th Cir., Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law & Procedure, Government Law, Injury And Tort Law) In an action by a pretrial detainee at the Oregon County jail asserting that defendants violated his rights in failing to ensure his safety after a fire broke out at the jail, summary judgment for defendants is affirmed where: 1) plaintiff’s allegations regarding the correctional officers’ disregard for the jail’s smoking policy was contradicted by the undisputed facts in the record demonstrating the officers’ sweeps for contraband as recently as five days before the fire; 2) the jail’s inoperable sprinklers and lack of extra fire equipment such as oxygen tanks did not, standing alone, amount to deliberate indifference in light of the officers’ actions in searching for contraband, as well as the fire extinguishers and smoke detectors that were present at the time of the fire; and 3) the conditions at the Oregon County jail were not so dangerous as to violate contemporary standards of decency.
