Mary Strong, 60, was in the Dallas County Jail for drug-related offenses in 2022, when she became sick with pneumonia. She was released from jail and died days later of septic shock, a lawsuit alleges.

Her family is suing, alleging that the jail first denied care to Strong and then turned her out once she became very ill. The suit says the jail has a “scheme” of releasing sick inmates to avoid paying for their care.

“If Strong had received proper medical care and attention at the Dallas County Jail, including, but not limited to proper, timely, and complete antibiotic therapy, then Mary would have likely survived,” the suit states.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court this month by Denise Strong, a representative of the estate of Mary Strong. It names the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, jail staff, and the county commission, which is legally responsible for funding the jail.

“We look forward to litigating this case and presenting the actual facts rather than the allegations in the complaint,” said attorney Randy McNeil.

In June of 2021, Strong entered the Dallas County Jail on a $1.5 million bond, according to the lawsuit. In March and April of the following year, she developed pneumonia.

The suit alleges jail staff failed to do a proper medical intake on Strong when she arrived and did not give her timely medical care when she got sick. It also claims staff waited to release Strong until after her condition became severe, at which point it was too late for her to be saved.

According to the complaint, the jail released Strong on April 1 on a medical bond, however her family was not told of her medical condition at the time.

Medical bonds allow sick inmates to leave jail so they can pursue their own treatment.

By April 3, Strong’s family called an ambulance because her condition was worsening, the suit alleges. She was taken to Vaughan Regional Medical Center in Selma and then to Baptist Princeton Medical Center in Birmingham. On April 5, she died of septic shock.

According to the suit, the Dallas County Jail has a history of releasing inmates on medical bond. The jail was also underfunded, according to the suit.

In 2019, Sheriff, Michael Granthum asked for more funding from the county commission, saying the jail only had $140,000 in the budget for medical expenses that year, less than the cost of treating some individual inmates.

“This case highlights the need for a broader discussion on how local entities handle medical care of inmates,” said attorney for the family, Martin Weinberg.

“As of right now they can shirk from their financial responsibility of care.”