By Robert Harding
The Citizen, Auburn, N.Y.
AUBURN, N.Y. — A former Cayuga County Jail inmate who alleged his constitutional rights were violated will receive $25,000 in a settlement with the county.
Johann Bass filed the federal lawsuit in 2022. He named several defendants, including Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck and employees at the jail, and accused them of violating his constitutional rights by delaying medical care and denying access to mental health care.
Bass was being held at the jail following his arrest stemming from a robbery at an Auburn bank in January 2022. He pleaded guilty to third-degree robbery and was sentenced to 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison.
During his pre-trial detainment at the Cayuga County Jail, Bass alleges he had “extreme chest pains” and requested medical care. He was quarantined due to COVID-19 concerns, he says, but tested negative for the virus.
After 17 days, he was prescribed an antibiotic and over-the-counter pain medication and, he says, his condition improved.
Bass also alleges that he was denied access to mental health care during the 16 months he was incarcerated at the county jail. In his lawsuit, he claims he submitted eight to 10 requests for mental health treatment, all of which followed being placed on “constant/suicide watch,” he wrote, “due to their concerns regarding my mental health and obvious risks to my wellbeing.”
Bass, who says he has attempted suicide seven times, reported that he did not receive mental health treatment at the jail, despite his repeated requests.
Other allegations in the lawsuit include Bass’s claim that he experienced psychological abuse and the county violated his due process rights in disciplinary proceedings.
Bass sought more than $2.1 million in damages, plus attorneys’ fees, according to an amended complaint filed in 2023.
In April, the Cayuga County Legislature approved a resolution authorizing a settlement between the county and Bass. The legislative text notes that Bass filed another lawsuit against the county and discovery had been completed in the case. Bass’s attorney and the county entered mediation and reached a settlement agreement.
According to the resolution, the agreement settles all claims against the county “without making any admission of fault.”
The resolution did not reveal how much Bass would be paid to settle the lawsuit, but Cayuga County Attorney Fred Westphal confirmed in an email to The Citizen that the amount is $25,000.
Bass, who began serving his state prison sentence in 2023, was released on parole in 2025.
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