San Diego Mother Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Son Who Died While in Juvenile Detention

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys from Singleton Schreiber filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the mother of a 16-year-old boy who died of a fentanyl overdose while in custody at a San Diego juvenile detention center.

According to the complaint, in 2021, Brenda Arguelles' son (a minor whose identity is being protected) was a juvenile detainee at the Juvenile Hall located at 2801 Meadow Lark Drive in San Diego. He was set to be released on September 26. However, he was checked into the emergency room of the on-site clinic on September 5 due to allegations of fentanyl use and vomiting. He was returned to his cell on September 6, but his mother was never made aware of the incident by the juvenile hall officials.

On September 7, 2021, the boy entered the cell of another detainee who was an alleged fentanyl dealer at the facility. The next morning, the boy was found dead from a fentanyl overdose.

"Ms. Arguelles has been grieving the loss of her son for almost 1 ½ years without answers as to how this tragedy happened when her son was supposed to be under close supervision while he was in juvenile hall," said Kimberly Trimble, Counsel at Singleton Schreiber. "We hope that this lawsuit provides a way for Ms. Arguelles to get her answers and also holds the County accountable for those who failed in their duties to care for her son while he was in their custody."

This 16-year-old boy was the oldest of 4 children in the Arguelles family. He was initially taken into custody due to drug and alcohol abuse and was given a psychiatric assessment at the juvenile detention center. He was diagnosed with acute PTSD and adjustment disorder and was prescribed medication by the staff to help with these issues. He was even enrolled in a drug-related treatment group while in the custody of San Diego County.

The complaint alleges a variety of issues regarding Brenda's son, including:

• The absence of proper safety checks at juvenile hall, which may have saved the boy's life
• The ability of detainees to buy/sell fentanyl inside juvenile hall
• The boy's health in general, as well as his prescriptions medications, were poorly maintained and poorly communicated to his mother
• No one responded to multiple calls Brenda made to the facility about her son

The case is Brenda Arguelles v. County of San Diego, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, Case No. 23-cv-0321-H-AGS.

About Singleton Schreiber

With roughly 200 employees and offices throughout the western United States, Singleton Schreiber represents individuals in a variety of practice areas, including civil rights, personal injury and fire-related litigation. Gerald Singleton and his team have represented more than 12,000 victims of utility fires and has recovered approximately $2 billion in settlements and verdicts for its clients. The firm currently represents thousands of victims of the numerous fires in New Mexico, California, and Oregon. The firm is also a premier personal injury firm, obtaining top results for clients, including more than $100 million in verdicts in 2022. The firm's civil rights team has also made headlines, successfully representing people whose state and federal rights have been violated in some way.

Media Contact:Joe Marchelewski, [email protected]

SOURCE Singleton Schreiber