Prison Healthcare Company Denied $919 Surgery, Jury Awards Inmate $307.6M

A private healthcare company refused to spend $919 on surgery to reverse an inmate's colostomy bag, forcing him to live with it for three years.

A federal jury awarded Kohchise Jackson $307.6 million in what became the largest civil rights verdict in Michigan history.

Jackson was diagnosed with a colovesical fistula in December 2016 while detained at St. Clair County Correctional Facility. Doctors scheduled his colostomy reversal surgery for February 2017.

Corizon Health blocked the procedure, claiming it was "not medically necessary" despite the $919.35 cost.

Living With a Leaking Bag

Jackson endured situations where "the bag would pop open when he was trying to work out in the yard and spray feces all over his body and other prisoners."

He sometimes had to clean out the bag and reuse it when prison replacements weren't available. The situation led to humiliation, physical altercations, and constant ridicule from other inmates.

Jackson said it was "horrible, having to be in those close quarters with guys wearing a colostomy bag, knowing that it was supposed to come off within two months."

The Financial Incentive

Corizon was paid on a "per-prisoner-per-month basis," giving the company "a strong financial incentive to deny medical care to Michigan prisoners whenever possible."

The company has been sued for negligence over 660 times in the last eight years. It later moved most of its debts to a shell company that declared bankruptcy, allowing Corizon to pay pennies on the dollar for claims.

Justice After Release

Jackson filed his civil rights lawsuit in 2019 against CHS TX, Inc., formerly known as Corizon Health. He had been paroled in May 2019 after serving time in both county and state facilities.

Two weeks after his release, Jackson got the colostomy reversal surgery funded by Michigan's taxpayer Medicaid program.

The federal jury in Detroit deliberated just over two hours before returning their verdict on April 2, 2026. They awarded $300 million in punitive damages against the company, $100,000 against Dr. Keith Papendick, and $7.5 million in compensatory damages.

Attorney Jonathan Marko said the case was "about justice not just for Jackson but for tens of thousands of prisoners who have received inadequate health care while in prison from contractors seeking to maximize their profits."