San Diego inmate cleared to sue deputies after jailhouse thumb amputation

A federal judge ruled that San Diego County Jail inmate Mauricio Bernal can proceed with his lawsuit against two deputies and jail staff over a 2023 incident in which he says a closing door severed his thumb during a pat-down. Judge Anthony Whelan found Bernal adequately alleged the deputies moved his arms toward the door themselves, comparing it to a prior case involving a woman's fingertip caught the same way.

Bernal also claims jail staff denied him daily wound treatment, ordered him to take out the trash with the injury, and mocked him with a thumbs-up gesture and a drawing of a severed finger on his cell door. The judge allowed the deliberate-indifference claim against 20 unnamed jail staff to move forward, while dismissing a state civil-rights claim and a negligence claim against those unnamed defendants.

Bernal's attorney called the injury horrific and entirely preventable and said the team looks forward to discovery. The county did not respond to requests for comment.

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