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Crime, Law and Justice
Kirsti Marohn

Lawsuit claims negligence, medical malpractice in Stearns County jail inmate’s 2022 death

A person walk toward the office
Stearns County Sheriff’s deputies walk toward the county’s law enforcement center and jail on Wednesday in St. Cloud.
Kimm Anderson for MPR News

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The family of a man who died in the Stearns County jail nearly two years ago is suing the county and health care provider CentraCare, alleging that medical providers and jail staff ignored his pleas for help.

The Minneapolis law firm Storms Dworak filed the wrongful death lawsuit Thursday in federal court on behalf of two family members of Nickolas Norberg. It accuses the county, CentraCare and several employees of negligence and medical malpractice.

The civil complaint claims corrections and medical staff of the Stearns County sheriff's department and CentraCare failed to properly assess and treat the 37-year-old Norberg after he was arrested in October 2022.

The final hours of Norberg’s life, the complaint says, were spent “slowly spiraling towards an agonizing yet avoidable death.”

Stearns County contracts with CentraCare to provide health and medical services to jail inmates. CentraCare also operates St. Cloud Hospital.

Norberg struggled with depression and substance use for years after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a car accident, the complaint says. 

St. Cloud police arrested Norberg on Oct. 16, 2022, after employees of a Walmart store reported he was huffing inhalants in the restroom. Police used a Taser on Norberg multiple times while trying to arrest him, according to the complaint.

Norberg was taken to St. Cloud Hospital’s emergency room, where he was handcuffed and placed in a wheelchair. The complaint alleges hospital staff failed to respond to his complaints that he couldn’t breathe, repeatedly begged for water and said he was having a heart attack.

Norberg was discharged and brought to the Stearns County jail. The lawsuit claims jail staff and an on-call medical provider ignored obvious signs of distress and did not address his medical needs as he became increasingly ill, struggled to breathe and vomited repeatedly. 

Norberg died of “cardiac dysfunction” about five hours after he was brought to the jail, the complaint says.

In a statement, CentraCare spokesperson Karna Fronden said, “We are deeply saddened by the death of Nickolas Norberg and the loss of life experienced by his family and loved ones.” She said CentraCare can’t comment further due to pending litigation.

Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall also declined to comment, citing the active lawsuit.