County reaches $16 million settlement over jail death of Hayden Schuck

Judge had threatened sanctions over 55 hours of deleted video

By Alexander J Schorr

Photo: The late Hayden Schuck

October 29, 2025—San Diego County Supervisors have voted to approve a historic settlement to resolve the in-custody wrongful death of Hayden Schuck. In the case of Estate of Hayden Schuck v. County of San Diego, et al. (Case 23-cv-00785-DMS-AHG), they approved a record $16 million payout and deputy training reforms to address the ongoing jail death crisis, according to the civil rights law firm  McKenzie Scott PC.

Schuck was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and drug possession back in March 2022, two months after Kelly Martinez was appointed Undersheriff, overseeing the department until she was elected Sheriff and sworn in the following January.

The 22-year-old was taken into custody at San Diego’s Central Jail, where he died six days later in his cell due to dehydration. 

According to Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard, “the County had an intent to deprive in deleting the video footage from the missing time period.” Goddard stated that, regardless of the reason, the deletion of the video and the fact that no one will know who erased the footage or what the footage contained, the erasure of evidence adds to the conclusion that there was likely intent to deprive the Schucks of information about their son’s death.

A County on Notice

The incident left many unanswered questions for loved ones and law enforcement about his final days, especially amid the revelation that 55 hours of video footage of Hayden’s time in custody was deleted, which complicated the investigation for answers to Hayden’s death, as well as transparency within the Sheriff’s department.

“The County had a choice between a record settlement now or a larger jury verdict later,” said lawyer Tim Scott, an attorney to the Schuck family. “Our goal is to make it too expensive for the County to let these needless deaths continue. We are trying to encourage investment in meaningful jail reform instead.”

The parents of Hayden Schuck spoke on the matter of the settlement in the aftermath of his death due to negligence: “Our son deserves to be heard, so we are committed to being his voice,” said Sabrina and Timothy Schuck. “No family should endure what we have endured. We are grateful to Deputy Commander Jesse Johns from the San Diego Sheriff’s office who personally reached out to us to discuss our non-monetary demands for training reforms. We trust they are committed to fulfilling our request to establish a protocol that ensures all sworn jail personnel regularly participate in specific training in recognizing the signs of mental illness and substance withdrawal.”

(Screenshot:  Schuck family members)

The day before his death, Schuck was found naked with sores on his body while food and feces were displaced throughout his cell. Additionally, and according to the Schuck family’s attorneys, their son had a medical screening.

Hayden’s final days could not be presented in court due to deletion of 55 hours of video footage that the county had been instructed to preserve. His parents could only speculate as to their son’s condition and whereabouts: he “probably lied there dying alone, for days— alone, thirsty,” said Sabrina Schuck.

The Schuck settlement comes three years after the California State Audit issued a critical 2022 report on the San Diego County Jails, which found that from 2006 through 2020, 185 people died in the county jails. San Diego County had one of the highest in-custody death rates in the state, with the audit reporting systemic issues with departmental policies and practices.

The Sheriff’s Office Response

According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office (SDSO), the office has “implemented significant reforms focused on accountability, expanded access to healthcare, and enhanced staff training. In collaboration with [their] contracted medical partners, nearly 50,000 individuals receive care within [these] facilities every year” in accordance with national standards established by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). Additionally, the statement by the Sheriff’s office stated: "Many of our detention facilities were constructed decades ago, and some continue to operate with aging infrastructure and outdated technology.

The SDSO under Martinez' s leadership has taken some actions in response to update prison conditions amid legal and public pressure: In June 2025, the Sheriff’s Department proposed a $500 million for a 10-year plan to modernize its seven jails. These fundings aim to address structural and internal issues, with a focus on an aging Vista Detention Center. There is also a partial settlement of a class-action lawsuit in August 2025 which included an agreement to retrofit showers, toilets, and beds in order to meet accessibility standards and provide better access to devices like wheelchairs.

The Sheriff notes that “over the last year, San Diego County jails recorded the lowest number of in-custody deaths in more than a decade, experienced a 65 percent reduction in overdoses, and saw zero suicides in 2024; the first time that has occurred in more than 20 years.”

Going forward, there will  be weekly wellness checks at the Central Jail by a multidisciplinary team to address inmates’ basic needs and help identify hygiene-related issues. The SDSO has also implemented new policies and procedures for enhanced medical screenings and wellness checks for incarcerated individuals.

The sanitation improvements are driven by a class-action lawsuit filed by the law firm Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfel (RBGG) and scrutiny from other bodies. Despite the department’s efforts however, there are ongoing issues as illustrated from reports from health experts and oversight bodies, which indicate that sanitation problems remain widespread.

Six out of seven San Diego County jails failed to meet minimum health and safety standards. The expert observed “serious, unsafe, and unsanitary conditions at all six facilities  inspected.” This same 2025 expert report noted that incarcerated people often report not receiving enough cleaning supplies, or sometimes none at all. By extension, many inmates share cramped, triple-occupacy cells within inadequate sanitation, with the expert expressing skepticism of the jail’s policy of weekly sanitation inspections being properly followed.

In a January 2025 report, rnvironmental health expert Debra Graham detailed sanitation violations during her 2024 tours of six of the county jails. Graham noted that it was “doubtful if meaningful sanitation and hygiene inspections are occurring” despite the Sheriff’s Office policy for weekly inspections. Graham documented issues like widespread mold, rodent infestations, broken toilets and insufficient or no cleaning supplies, and detailed the reports with images of walls covered in feces, a dead rat in a medical exam room, piles of trash, and human waste.

Sheriff  Martinez has acknowledged that aging facilities like the 49-year old Vista Detention Center make cleanliness difficult to maintain. She does assert that the department is managing effectively with its current resources.

Money for the settlement will come out of the Sheriff's Office's budget., however the Sheriff’s office indicates it had no participation or input on the recent settlement decision by the County of San Diego.

The Sheriff, in a statement issued after the settlement, said, “First and foremost, any loss of life in our custody is profoundly felt—these individuals are not statistics or case numbers. They are someone’s family member, friend, and loved one. We take these tragedies to heart, and they deepen our commitment to ensuring that every person entrusted to our care is treated safely, humanely, and with dignity.”

Sheriff Martinez did not specifically address why the video was deleted, but did state, “As infrastructure funding becomes available, these older systems are being systematically replaced with modern camera platforms that support longer retention, improved coverage, and greater reliability.”

She acknowledges that “litigation is an important part of accountability.  At the same time, improvements made since 2022 are improving the operations, expectations, medical processes, and technology within our jails. The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to learning from the past while continuing forward progress and ensuring that past deficiencies are not repeated. We will continue to share data, reforms, and outcomes publicly as we modernize our jail system and improve the care and conditions for every person entrusted to our custody.”