Case Background
Kohchise Jackson’s journey through the Michigan justice system took a horrific turn not because of his legal charges, but because of a medical crisis that the system refused to fix. In 2016, while Jackson awaited trial at the St. Clair County Jail, he began experiencing terrifying symptoms. He eventually learned that he had developed a colovesical fistula—a dangerous and painful condition where an abnormal opening forms between the colon and the bladder. This condition meant that waste from his intestines was leaking into his urinary tract, leading to constant, severe infections.
Medical staff at a local hospital performed an emergency surgery to save his life, which required the placement of a temporary colostomy bag. At the time, doctors assured Jackson that the bag was only a short-term solution. They noted that he would need a follow-up surgery to reverse the procedure in six to eight weeks, once his body had enough time to heal from the initial trauma. However, shortly after this life-saving intervention, Jackson was transferred into the custody of the Michigan Department of Corrections. At that point, his medical care fell under the responsibility of Corizon Health, a private company now known as CHS TX, Inc., which the state contracted to provide healthcare for its prison population. For the next two years, Jackson’s life became a cycle of waiting, pleading, and suffering as the "temporary" medical device became a permanent part of his body.
Cause
The central cause of this lawsuit was not a medical accident, but what Jackson’s legal team described as a cold, calculated business decision. While Jackson’s doctors at the jail and the hospital had already established that a reversal surgery was medically necessary, the private healthcare providers at Corizon repeatedly blocked the procedure. Evidence presented during the trial revealed that the surgery Jackson needed carried a price tag of only $919.35. Despite this relatively small cost, the company’s internal review process, overseen by administrators like Dr. Keith Papendick, denied the request for the reversal.
The lawsuit alleged that Corizon operated under a "Monell" custom—a corporate policy that prioritized profit margins over the constitutional rights of inmates. By systematically denying or delaying necessary surgeries for thousands of prisoners, the company was able to save millions of dollars annually. Jackson became a victim of this system when the company decided that the $900 cost of his surgery was an expense they were unwilling to bear. His legal team argued that the Defendants showed "deliberate indifference" to his health, a high legal standard that requires proving the providers knew about a serious medical need and chose to ignore it for non-medical reasons.
Injury
The injuries Jackson suffered were both physical and deeply psychological, stemming from the 700 days he spent with a leaking colostomy bag. Physically, he endured constant pain and recurring urinary tract infections because the original fistula had never been properly addressed through the follow-up surgery. Because he was in a prison environment, managing a colostomy bag was nearly impossible. The bags often leaked, causing feces to spill onto his clothes and skin, which led to painful rashes and a permanent, foul odor that he could not escape.
The social and emotional injuries were even more severe. In the high-tension environment of a prison, the smell and the mess associated with his condition made Jackson a target. He suffered immense humiliation and was often ostracized or threatened by other inmates who did not want to be near him. Jackson testified that he felt less than human, living in a constant state of anxiety and shame. He described the experience as a form of torture, knowing that a simple, inexpensive surgery could end his nightmare, yet being told day after day that his health was not a priority. The psychological trauma of being treated as a "cost center" rather than a human being left lasting scars on his mental health.
Damages Sought
Jackson sought compensation for the years of physical agony and the profound loss of dignity he experienced. His attorneys asked the jury to award compensatory damages for the pain, suffering, and emotional distress that defined his time in prison. However, the legal team also sought a massive amount in punitive damages. They argued that a standard award would not be enough to change the behavior of a multi-billion-dollar corporation. To truly hold CHS TX, Inc. accountable and deter them from treating other inmates in the same manner, Jackson’s lawyers argued that the jury needed to send a financial message so large that it would fundamentally impact the company’s business model.
Key Arguments and Proceedings
Legal Representation
Plaintiff(s): Kohchise Jackson.
· Counsel for Plaintiff(s): Laurence H. Margolis | Ian T. Cross of Margolis | Jonathan R. Marko | Michael L. Jones | Allie J. Farris of Marko Law, PLLC.
Defendant(s): CHS TX, Inc. (formerly known as Corizon Health, Inc.) | Dr. Keith Papendick. (Other original Defendants, including Prime Healthcare Services and individual jail staff, were involved in earlier stages of the litigation).
· Counsel for Defendant(s): Adam Masin | Sunny Rehsi
Key Arguments or Remarks by Counsel
During the trial, Plaintiff’s attorney Jonathan Marko delivered a blistering critique of the private prison healthcare industry. He told the jury that the company had treated Jackson like "trash" because they viewed him as a number on a balance sheet. Marko highlighted the contrast between the $919 cost of the surgery and the millions of dollars in profit the company generated. He argued that the delay was a "death sentence to Jackson’s dignity."
The defense, led by Adam Masin, tried to frame the case as a disagreement over medical timing rather than a constitutional violation. Masin argued that many people live with colostomy bags permanently and that the delay in Jackson's reversal did not constitute "cruel and unusual punishment." He suggested that the medical providers were acting within their professional judgment and that Jackson had received regular, albeit non-surgical, care for his condition. The defense maintained that the responsibility for the delay rested with the complexities of the prison system rather than a specific intent to cause harm.
Claims
The primary legal claim was a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment. Jackson’s team had to prove that the Defendants were "deliberately indifferent" to a serious medical need. They also pursued a Monell claim against the corporation itself. This meant proving that Jackson’s suffering wasn't just the result of one bad doctor, but the direct result of a corporate "custom or policy" designed to save money by withholding care.
Defense
The defense centered on the idea that Jackson’s medical needs were being "managed," even if they weren't being "cured" through surgery. They argued that Dr. Papendick and the Corizon staff had a reasonable medical basis for their decisions. They also tried to shift the blame, suggesting that Jackson’s own health history or the administrative hurdles of the Michigan Department of Corrections played a role in the timeline. They consistently argued that the legal threshold for "deliberate indifference" was not met because the providers had not completely ignored Jackson; they had simply made a different clinical choice than the one Jackson wanted.
Jury Verdict
After an eight-day trial in April 2026, the jury returned with a historic verdict. They found that both CHS TX, Inc. and Dr. Keith Papendick had violated Kohchise Jackson’s constitutional rights. The jury specifically found that the company’s corporate policies were the driving force behind the denial of care.
The jury awarded Jackson $7,500,000 million in compensatory damages for his pain and suffering. To the shock of many in the Courtroom, they then assessed a massive $300,000,000 million in punitive damages against CHS TX, Inc. They also assessed $100,000 in punitive damages against Dr. Papendick. The total judgment of $307.6 million stood as one of the largest awards ever given to a single inmate in United States history. Judge Gershwin A. Drain finalized the judgment on April 13, 2026, marking a monumental victory for Jackson and a stern warning to private companies operating within the American prison system.
Court documents are available upon request at [email protected]
