By Adam Ferrise
cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cuyahoga County and MetroHealth agreed to pay a combined $100,000 settlement to the family of a county jail inmate who died from a drug overdose, according to probate court records.
The lawsuit accused county jail officials and MetroHealth of ignoring warning signs that Rogelio Latorre needed medical and mental health care and instead placed him in isolation.
Cuyahoga County paid $75,000 and MetroHealth $25,000, officials said.
Cuyahoga County spokeswoman Jennifer Ciaccia declined comment and MetroHealth spokesman Tim Magaw did not comment on the settlement.
Latorre died on Nov. 16, 2023, of an overdose of bromazolam, often used to make fake Xanax pills, and buprenorphine, a synthetic opioid used to treat opioid addiction.
The Drug Enforcement Administration in March temporarily designated bromazolam a Schedule I drug, meaning it’s an illegal drug and has a high potential for abuse. The DEA said the drug becomes especially dangerous when it’s used with opioids, and reported 201 overdose deaths from the drug from April 2021 to February 2026 .
Latorre was booked into the jail on Nov. 15, 2023, on drug possession charges. The lawsuit says jail officers knew he was talking slowly, acting lethargic and potentially under the influence of drugs. Latorre also reported he had attempted self-harm in the past and was contemplating taking his own life.
Jail officials took Latorre to the jail’s medical unit, then to an isolated cell, where officers failed to make their required checks on each inmate, the lawsuit said.
MetroHealth, which provides medical and mental health care for inmates, didn’t properly treat him, according to the lawsuit.
Latorre, 25, was found dead in his cell the next day.
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