Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP (ECBAWM) has filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the Estate of Terrence Wise, alleging that employees of the Federal Bureau of Prisons failed to provide timely medical care while Mr. Wise was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, allowing his lung cancer to progress before his death.

The complaint alleges that despite repeated requests for medical attention while coughing up blood, delays in testing, diagnosis, and treatment caused Mr. Wise’s cancer to advance, reducing his chances of long-term survival. Filed in the Eastern District of New York, the lawsuit asserts claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act for negligence, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and conscious pain and suffering.

“Terrence was the love of my life. He was kind, resilient, and never stopped fighting, even when life dealt him unimaginable hardships,” said Philease Martin, Mr. Wise’s longtime partner and the Preliminary Executor of his estate. “I watched him beg for help as his health deteriorated, and I watched him endure months of painful treatments that no one should have to face. Nothing can bring Terrence back to me, but I brought this lawsuit because he deserved better. I want accountability for what happened to him, and I hope his story helps ensure that no other family has to endure this kind of loss.”

“Terrence Wise spent months begging for help as he suffered from undiagnosed lung cancer. He and his attorneys repeatedly sought answers and medical care, but were met with silence, delay, and indifference,” said Katie Rosenfeld, Partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP. “Mr. Wise’s death is not an isolated tragedy. It is yet another devastating example of MDC’s chronic failures to provide safe, humane, and constitutional conditions to the people in its custody. The Bureau of Prisons has known about these systemic problems for years and failed to fix them. Mr. Wise deserved dignity, compassion, and competent care. Instead, he was abandoned by the very institution responsible for his well-being.”

“Terrence Wise spent months in pain, searching for answers as his health deteriorated,” said Claire Z. Abbadi, Associate at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP. “By the time Mr. Wise learned he had lung cancer, his disease had already progressed dramatically. He should have been treated with urgency and compassion, but instead, his loved ones are left mourning a loss that never should have happened. This lawsuit seeks accountability for the failures that led to Mr. Wise’s death and justice for a man who was denied the care and humanity he deserved.”

News coverage:

Daily News: Lawsuit chronicles MDC Brooklyn prisoner’s desperate pleas for care as cancer ravaged his body

Hoodline: Brooklyn Jail Inmate Begged For Cancer Care, Lawsuit Says Staff Let Him Die