By Aimee Green
The Oregonian
MULTNOMAH COUNTY, Ore. — A former Multnomah County jail inmate who says he was seriously injured when he slipped in the shower has filed a $905,000 lawsuit against the county.
Christopher Troy Depue’s lawsuit said he arrived at the downtown Multnomah County Detention Center with dog feces on his pants and was ordered to take a shower. His suit faults jail employees for allegedly failing to give him a bath mat before sending him into the shower sometime after 2 a.m. on Nov. 22, 2016.
Depue, 36, ended up slipping and tearing his rectum -- causing pain, fear and embarrassment, his suit said.
County spokeswoman Jessica Morkert-Shibley declined comment, saying the county doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
Jail records show Depue had just been booked into Multnomah County’s jail system based on a Clackamas County warrant for allegedly failing to appear in court to face charges of third-degree theft and first-degree trespass.
Less than a month later, he was arrested and booked into jail again on accusations of possessing methamphetamine and lying to police. He told jailers at the time that he’d undergone surgery a few weeks earlier and had been getting further care through Central City Concern, a nonprofit that helps adults affected by homelessness, poverty and addiction.
Depue also told jailers he was unemployed. Although charging papers allege Depue had methamphetamine on him, he said he hadn’t used that drug or heroin in the past few months.
Depue has been booked into Multnomah County’s jail system eight times in roughly the past two years.
He seeks $5,000 in economic damages and $900,000 for pain and suffering. The suit was filed last month in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Portland attorney Drake Aehegma is representing Depue. Read the lawsuit here.