On Jan. 4, 2012, plaintiffs’ decedent Michael Esperanza, 16, a Native American from the Quechan Tribe, hanged himself from his bunk bed in the Imperial County Juvenile Hall. Michael was detained in juvenile hall for just over a month when the incident occurred. The decedent’s mother, Charlene Townsend; grandmother, Vivian Menta; and aunt, Dorinda Iron Cloud, sued the operator of the juvenile hall, Imperial County, alleging that the county was liable for Michael’s wrongful death. Plaintiffs’ counsel noted that it was the first time Michael had spent the holidays away from his family and community. On the subject date, Michael’s mother had to cancel a planned visit because she could not get a ride. She allegedly called the juvenile hall and asked to speak with her son, but her request was refused. Hours later, Michael was found hanging from his bunk bed. Plaintiffs’ counsel argued that the county of Imperial was negligent for having bunk beds in the children’s rooms, which failed to meet the standards for juveniles as specified by the Corrections Standards Authority. Counsel contended that bunk beds were not appropriate to have in children’s rooms in detention halls because they facilitate suicides by having too many ligature points that could be used in a suicide attempt. Plaintiffs’ counsel also argued that the county was negligent for not having an adequate suicide prevention program and for failing to properly train their employees on suicide prevention, as required by state law. Counsel further argued that the county failed to properly screen children admitted to juvenile hall for suicidal ideation. In addition, plaintiffs’ counsel argued that the county failed to provide proper treatment for children with mental health issues who were incarcerated in the juvenile hall. The county denied the plaintiffs’ allegations. However, following Michael’s death, the county modified the bunk beds in the juvenile hall’s dormitories to comply with CSA standards and implemented the MAYSI-2 screening assessment, which is the country’s leading standard screening tool used to identify juveniles with mental health issues and/or suicidal ideation., Michael, who was a trustee at the juvenile hall, was found hanging from the bunk bed in his single-occupancy room. He ultimately died at a hospital several hours later. Prior to his incarceration, Michael had lived on the Quechan Indian reservation for most of his life. He was allegedly very close to his family, extended family, and other members of the tribe. Thus, plaintiffs’ counsel contended that the separation from the community while Michael was incarcerated was extremely difficult for him. Michael’s mother, grandmother and aunt claimed that they brought claims against the county in order to try to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.