Pregnant woman who delivered baby in jail settles lawsuit
Share this @internewscast.com

Etowah County Jail in Gadsden, Alabama (Google Maps).

Abandoned to give birth on the floor of an Alabama jail shower unaided, a woman has reached a settlement in her lawsuit against the county that she says treated her as if she were “less than nothing.”

In October 2023, Ashley Caswell took legal action against Etowah County, including the sheriff’s office, its jail, and other officials, in federal court. This followed a two-year prior incident where she gave birth in the jail premises. While both she and her newborn survived, Caswell almost lost her life due to a placental abruption that led to severe hemorrhaging, according to her legal team.

“I felt they treated me like I was less than nothing, and I was terrified my baby and I would die. I decided I had to speak up by filing the lawsuit,” Caswell stated Monday in a press release. “Standing up for myself wasn’t easy, but reaching this settlement reassures me I made the right choice to sue. I hope they will ensure this doesn’t happen to another woman again.”

Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.

Caswell accused the county of “deliberate indifference to serious medical needs” and negligence, among other claims. The terms of the settlement were not publicly released.

She was arrested in March 2021 under Alabama’s chemical endangerment law for using drugs when she was two months pregnant. Passed in 2006, the law was designed to punish parents who exposed children to drugs, particularly meth, at a time when it was running rampant across the state, according to the Bloomston Firm. However, according to a report by AL.com, the law has been disproportionally applied to pregnant mothers like Caswell.

The 62-page complaint alleged denial of prenatal health care and prescribed psychiatric medication. Plaintiff lawyers said jail officials refused to take her to a facility about 65 miles away that specialized in high-risk pregnancies like Caswell’s — which had previously been common practice — because the jail “did not have enough people to transport her there.” She was taken to the facility when she was previously pregnant at the jail in 2019, per the lawsuit.

More from Law&Crime: ‘Grotesque freak show’: Mom horrified at son’s funeral viewing after body became ‘infested with large clumps of moving and visible maggots,’ lawsuit says

Officials also refused to take her to weekly prenatal appointments even after week 36 of her pregnancy, she said in the lawsuit.

“As a direct result of Defendants’ actions and inactions, Ms. Caswell’s constitutional rights were violated because she did not receive regular prenatal medical attention necessary for her high-risk pregnancy,” the lawsuit said.

Jail staff took her to a local hospital in September 2021 after she began having contractions. Doctors said she was experiencing “poor nutrition” and was “highly stressed” due to a lack of sleep as she spent the duration of her pregnancy sleeping on a mattress on the floor. She was forced to sleep on the mattress on the floor even after doctors recommended she be given a bottom bunk bed, per the complaint.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Sentencing Date Set for October

A New York federal judge finalized a sentencing date on Tuesday for…

Trump Administration Criticizes Class Action Lawsuit by Unborn Babies

President Donald Trump speaks during an “Invest in America” roundtable with business…

Man Faces Legal Proceedings for Alleged Spiritual Blessing Fraud in Sydney

A man will face court in Sydney today after he was extradited…

Jackson Criticizes Supreme Court Justices Over Approval of Trump Dismissals

Left: MIAMI, FL-MARCH 10: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson attends…

Illinois Man Admits Guilt in Girlfriend’s Shooting and Faking Her Suicide Note

A 19-year-old Illinois man pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend in 2024…

Lawyer Criticizes Key Witness in Fraudulent Heist Trial

While CCTV captured two men before and after a brazen staged robbery…

Elderly Man, 80, Allegedly Kills Wife Following Dispute Over His Medical Care: Police Report

Background: Montgomery County Detention Center (Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation)…

What’s in Store for Erin Patterson’s Future?

Mushroom cook Erin Patterson still has a long legal road to travel…

Accurate Description of Tattoos: Lead on Fugitive Child Killer Travis Decker

Authorities in Idaho state that a family who reported spotting the accused…

Man Accused of Killing Girlfriend After Confrontation About Ex, Police Say

Left inset: Martin Mendoza (Santa Clara County Jail). Right inset: Marissa DiNapoli…

Family Dispute Over Damaged TV Leads to Tragic Incident, Say Police

Inset: O”Neal Robert Matthew Thompson (ECSO). The Florida home where Thompson allegedly…

District Attorney: Man Murders Woman After Snapchat Rejection

Left inset: Jose Lopez Xique (Hennepin County). Right inset: Kayli Arseth (Gearty-Delmore…