With the backdrop of a succession of erroneous Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) inmate releases, a new court ruling could mean expanded liability for jails and prisons.
The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Tuesday state law allows those harmed by mistakenly released inmates to sue the jail or prison.
In a unanimous opinion, the court sided with the estate of Katherine Paquin, an Albuquerque resident killed in 2012 by Christopher Blattner who was mistakenly released from state prison.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Adam Flores, said the ruling could apply to local jails, such as MDC.
“I’m thrilled that these kinds of cases can be heard by a jury instead of dismissed by a judge,” Flores told CityDesk ABQ shortly after the decision was announced.
In July, Metropolitan Detention Center inmates were mistakenly released on three occasions. Each has since been returned to custody.
MDC Warden Kai Smith said in a statement that jail staff are still reviewing the ruling to “determine any possible implications for MDC,” and that the jail has updated its procedures since the inmate releases in July.
“Following our recent erroneous releases in July, new protocol was put into place to ensure two sets of eyes review every inmate release and staff are being held accountable when mistakes are made, as the safety and security of our facility and community is MDC’s highest priority,” Smith said.
In its decision, written by Justice Shannon Bacon, the state’s high court ruled that a provision of the New Mexico Tort Claims Act applies in the Paquin case.
That provision holds an agency liable for the negligence of its employees in their duties “in the operation or maintenance of any building, public park, machinery, equipment or furnishings.”
Blattner, who was serving time for drug trafficking and possession, was mistakenly released from prison three years early, according to a news release from the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts.
In 2018, Blattner was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on unrelated drug and weapons offenses, to be served after a 28-year state sentence for second-degree murder.
Paquin’s family then sued the state Department of Corrections in district court. That court granted summary judgment in favor of the corrections department, a decision which was reversed by the state Court of Appeals.
The Supreme Court ruling sends the lawsuit by Paquin’s estate back to district court.