Family of man who died after found unresponsive in Valley Street Jail cell files medical malpractice suit

MANCHESTER, NH — The Hillsborough County House of Corrections and the two-person medical group contracted to care for the inmates at the Valley Street jail in Manchester are the subject of a lawsuit filed by the estate of the late Nicholas Sacco of Manchester.

The lawsuit was filed Friday, April 10 in the U.S. District Court of New Hampshire in Concord. [Read the complaint below.]

Nicholas Sacco died of opioid-related withdrawal at Elliot Hospital on May 22, 2019. He was transported there from the Valley Street jail after being found unresponsive in his cell. He had been at Valley Street since May 16 on a 72-hour hold for a probation violation.

Joanne Sacco, the mother of Nicholas Sacco, said in a statement, “We are devastated by the loss of our son Nicholas. Our hope is that some good can come out of all of this and that no family ever has to go through what we have gone through.”

“Nick Sacco repeatedly asked for medical attention and was ignored while he was being held at the Valley Street jail,” says Attorney Anthony Carr of Shaheen & Gordon, who is representing the estate. “As a lot of people in the local community are already aware, Valley Street has a long history of issues, including complete disregard for the needs of the inmates. We fully intend to show to a jury that Nick’s death was not just avoidable, but senseless.”

Named as defendants in the suit are the Hillsborough County House of Corrections, the American Institutional Medical Group, Christopher Braga, M.D., Christopher Schwieger, P.A., and Doe defendants.

The American Institutional Group is a New Hampshire corporation subcontracted with the Hillsborough HOC. Braga and Schwieger are part of that business, and both were contracted to provide medical care to the prisoners at Valley Street. The Doe defendants include unnamed RNs, LPNs, and other medical care personnel at Valley Street, as well as correctional officers at the jail.