Family Seeks $207M in Death Suit, $1M Per Minute of Suffering

The family of an East Baltimore teen who died in 2007 at a school for juvenile offenders while counselors attempted to restrain him have filed a wrongful-death suit seeking $207 million.

The figure represents $1 million for every minute that Isaiah Simmons III, 17, allegedly suffered while counselors at Bowling Brook Preparatory School held him face-down for about three hours.

In a news conference covered by the Baltimore Sun, the family's attorney, Steven H. Heisler, said the restraint violated protocol and caused a "slow, agonizing and excruciating death."

The suit also asks for an additional $207 million in punitive damages.

Several of the counselors involved were charged last year with reckless endangerment, but the charges were tossed by a judge. One of the accusations was that the counselors waited 41 minutes to call 911 even though Simmons was unresponsive, the Sun reports. Prosecutors are appealing the dismissal of charges.