Stories Related to $10 Million Each Sought For Two Inmate Deaths At Schenectady County Jail

The estates of an inmate with major heart-related problems who died in his cell at the Schenectady County Jail and another prisoner at the facility who survived kidney cancer only to become so badly bloated that he died at Ellis Hospital have put the county on notice that they plan to file wrongful death suits. The deaths of Michael Revels and Jimmy Richardson occurred about 2½ months apart and a notice of claim filed Friday by their attorney alleges both might still be alive if they had received proper medical care from Correctional Medical Care Inc., a firm the county has contracted for years to treat its inmates. Keach contends that what he generally sees is that CMC doesn't provide inmates with adequate follow-up care after being notified by correction officers of health issues. County Attorney Chris Gardner dismissed Keach's claim against CMC as a "bright shining lie," stressing that the county pays for any extra medical costs, including hospitalization and specialty care that inmates require. The notice of claim says after Revels died, the county secured his release and his wife got stuck with paying his remaining medical bills. The notice of claim indicates that jail guards failed to check on Richardson, 53, or notify medical staff even though his breathing was so labored that other inmates could hear him gurgling all night long. The notice says that on Jan.