Former Milwaukee Inmate Plans Lawsuit After Unborn Baby Dies

A former inmate at the Milwaukee County Criminal Justice Facility is planning a lawsuit after her unborn baby died.

Jennifer Jawson was serving time after she violated her probation back in December 2016. She was nearly nine months pregnant and she was checked out before she entered the facility.

"It had a heartbeat. The baby had a heartbeat before Jennifer went into custody," said Attorney David Lang.

Jawson said she had routine exams while she was in custody. Before she entered jail, she was prescribed methadone back in 2012 to treat a past addiction to heroin. 

According to court documents, "CJF medical staff ordered that the Claimant be transported daily to an off-site medical clinic to receive her daily methadone dose."

Jawson said staff refused to take her and they prescribed Tylenol instead. After a couple of days, Jawson said she told staff that she was experiencing cramping and severe contractions. 

But Jawson claims that staff failed to provide any medical attention during her late term pregnancy. On December 9th, staff were unable to find the baby's heart beat. She was taken to the hospital and notified that she was released from custody. The next day, Jawson gave birth to her unborn baby. 

"She didn't feel like she was getting the proper care and treatment," said Lang. 

CBS 58 reached out to the Milwaukee Sheriff's Office to get a comment about the case. 

A representative replied in an email, "The sheriff says she's lying. You should read the autopsy."

Lang said they have not seen the autopsy yet. They are gathering more documents before they file the lawsuit. Jawson is asking for more that $8,000,000 in damages.