Illinois settles for $10 million following a patient suicide at a state mental health center
On February 7, 2023, a 19-year-old took his life at Madden Mental Health Center, using a restricted item - a shoelace, which he tied to a ligature point - a door hinge. He was supposed to be under staff checks every 15 minutes, but a state police investigation found that didn't happen. Now the state is paying $10 million to settle the family's lawsuit which alleges negligence, without claiming responsibility for Anthony's death.
Anthony's death
Athena Webster remembers the last time she saw her son, Anthony Stringfellow, Jr. "February 3, 2023. That was the last time I saw him in person. The last time I hugged him. The last time I kissed him," she said.
Anthony was taken to Madden following a 911 call to the family's home concerning his wellbeing and a trip to the UChicago Emergency Room.
On his fourth day at Madden, around dinnertime, the state police investigation revealed that short staffing led to the inability to check on Anthony every 15 minutes as ordered. Anthony was considered a suicide risk.
A Mental Health Technician trainee, Rod Cadichon, later found Anthony, "He was against the wall." He tried to save his life, providing CPR until EMTs arrived.
"Anthony is sitting with a rope, well, a string around his neck. And the middle door hinge, he tied it, and he hung himself," said Cadichon.
Sharon White, a former Madden executive, worked at the facility during the time of Anthony's death. She was not there that night, but said, "Had it been ligature-free, Anthony would still be alive."
CBS News Chicago Investigators, through a public records request, uncovered more than 400 pages of internal emails revealing the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) knew about and had a plan to reduce the potential for ligature points, like door hinges, since 2019, four years before Anthony's death.
The emails show delays, missing equipment and confusion over what money was needed or already spent to complete the anti-ligature project over that period of time. Photos from the night Anthony died showed a protruding door hinge on Anthony's bathroom door, revealing the ligature risk remained. At the time of Anthony's death on Pavilion 6 and for many months afterward, it had not been shut down for full renovation.
"The facts were overwhelmingly in our favor," said family attorney Trish Hudson.
The strong facts and the strength of Anthony's family in depositions, swayed the state, she said. "The Attorney General's office got to see, meet, hear, listen, and be exposed to the emotion and the grief that this family has gone through losing Anthony."
"My son is dead every day. I'd rather have him," said Anthony's mother. "So when it comes to this settlement, I don't know how to feel."
Webster is hoping the settlement leads to change.
"They need to do something different. They need to do better."
IDHS says it has now completed the anti-ligature work and renovations on Pavilion 6. However, two patient pavilions remain unfinished. Both are closed as work continues.
According to the Attorney General's office, this $10 million settlement is the largest of its kind in the past five years.