NYC Agrees To Pay $5.2 Million In Rikers Methadone Death Settlements

NEW YORK, NY — The City of New York agreed to pay nearly $5.2 million to resolve federal civil rights lawsuits over the deaths of two men who overdosed on methadone while incarcerated at Rikers Island, cases that alleged correction officers ignored clear signs of medical distress and delayed emergency treatment.

The settlements include $2.7 million for the estate of Jose Mejia Martinez, who died in June 2021, and $2,499,999 for the estate of Donny Ruben Ubiera, who died in August 2023, according to attorneys for the families.

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In both cases, the lawsuits alleged that people in custody showed visible signs of overdose or psychiatric crisis before receiving meaningful medical intervention, including periods in which officers allegedly failed to act despite seeing inmates in distress.

Katie Rosenfeld, a partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, which represented both estates, said the cases reflected repeated failures inside the jail system.

“The jail was a dangerous and toxic environment for people struggling with addiction and mental illness,” she said.

Jose Mejia Martinez, 34, had been held at the George R. Vierno Center on a parole violation when he allegedly ingested methadone inside a housing unit in 2021.

According to court filings, he became visibly impaired in a common area, staggering and struggling to remain upright for an extended period.

The complaint alleged officers observed him slumped in shared spaces and later inside his cell but did not immediately call for medical help or administer overdose reversal medication.

A state investigation later concluded a correction officer failed to obtain timely medical care, despite training and department policy requiring intervention.

Martinez was later found unresponsive and pronounced dead after staff response was initiated hours after he first showed symptoms.

Donny Ruben Ubiera, 33, died two years later in 2023 while housed in a mental observation unit at the same facility.

Court filings stated he had a documented history of schizophrenia and had previously received psychiatric treatment before returning to Rikers.

The lawsuit alleged that Ubiera’s mental health deteriorated inside the jail, including reported suicide attempts and statements expressing self-harm.

“My son needed care, compassion, and protection. Instead, he was left in an environment where his mental health worsened, his cries for help went unanswered, and the system failed him at every turn," Maricela Ubiera, mother of Donny Ubiera, said.

It further alleged he obtained methadone inside the facility and later called for help during the night, but was not promptly assisted.

By the time officers found him unresponsive the next morning, CPR was started, but Narcan was not immediately available on the unit, according to the complaint, requiring staff to retrieve it from another area.

He was pronounced dead after prolonged resuscitation efforts.

The settlements resolve the lawsuits without admissions of liability by the City.