Family awarded $77m from drug treatment centre for discharging son early

Verdict is validation mother says

The family of a Georgia man who died shortly after being released from a drug treatment centre have won almost $77m following a legal battle with the health care provider, a report says.

Nick Carusillo died when he was hit by multiple vehicles on a Georgia interstate in September 2017, just days after he was discharged from an addiction treatment centre.

Last week, a jury awarded Carusillo’s parents $77m in damages, which the Associated Press reported on Friday included $10m for his pain and suffering, $55m for the value of his life, and $1m in punitive damages and other fees.

While the drug treatment centre, Metro Atlanta Recovery Residences (MARR), told the news agency that it would appeal the ruling, Carusillo’s parents said they welcomed the decision.

“This verdict, for us, is validation,” said Tina Carusillo in a phone interview on Wednesday with the Associated Press. “I’m hopeful that the size of this verdict makes a lot of people pay attention, from insurance companies to facilities to parents to loved ones to people seeking treatment.”

Carusillo’s parents claimed in a wrongful death lawsuit in 2019 that Metro Atlanta Recovery Residences were responsible for Carusillo’s wellbeing, but released him from their centre to a sober living residence.

The lawsuit reportedly alleged that MARR failed to tell the sober living residence about Carusillo’s mental health issues, which he had been on medication for until MARR took him off lithium within a week of being sent to the centre.

His family added that was despite warnings Carusillo should remain on his medication, having been been in and out of similar treatment centres before.

Carusillo was found dead three days after his release from MARR, having been struck by multiple vehicles. According to the Associated Press, he was found naked on Interstate 85 just outside of Atlanta and had no illegal drugs or alcohol in his system.

Heather Saum Ware, a lawyer for MARR, was reported as saying on Friday that the centre “plan(s) to appeal and are not commenting further about the ongoing litigation.”

Lawyers for MARR had written in a court filing that Carusillo’s lithium treatment was stopped after he complained of side effects, and that the 29-year-old violated multiple rules at the facility, including possession of a personal phone.

The Independent has contacted MARR for further comment.

Additional reporting by Associated Press