Feds To Pay $1.95M To Settle Lawsuit Over Illegal Immigrant's Care
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The federal government will pay $1.95 million to settle a lawsuit with the family of a now-deceased illegal immigrant who was denied medical care for cancer while in detention.
Court records show a settlement was filed Thursday in Los Angeles in the case brought by relatives of Salvadoran immigrant Francisco Castaneda.
Castaneda was denied a biopsy for a painful lesion while he was in state and federal detention facilities. He was later diagnosed with penile cancer and died in 2008.
Family attorney Conal Doyle says Castaneda's daughter will receive roughly $550,000. The rest of the settlement will go to his estate and to cover attorneys' fees.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it regrets Castaneda was not treated promptly and that changes have been made to detention practices.
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