Allegheny County Jail sued for medical mistreatment of inmate

The sister of an Allegheny County Jail inmate is suing the county because she says her brother is not receiving the proper medical care.

Gary Guyaux, 66, of North Fayette suffers from congestive heart failure and has lost 30 pounds in the past six months at the jail, according to a lawsuit his sister, Christy Guyaux, filed Friday in federal court.

Guyaux arrived at the jail in April 2016. Guyaux was hospitalized, and medical staff determined his heart was working at only 12 percent of its capacity, the complaint said.

When he returned to the jail, he did not receive required medication or dietary restrictions, which caused his health to decline, the complaint said.

Guyaux also has become wheelchair-bound and has severe swelling, the complaint said.

The lawsuit, which names the county and jail Warden Orlando Harper as defendants, seeks an injunction for Guyaux to be held in an independent medical facility. It also seeks declaratory and monetary relief.

The lawsuit claims one count of “deliberate indifference to serious medical and mental health needs in violation of eighth amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”

Guyaux was indicted in September 2017 on four counts of receiving stolen property and 15 counts of possessing prohibited weapons after police seized 568 weapons at his North Fayette home.

In June, while in jail, Guyaux was convicted of one count of terroristic threats stemming from an incident while he was locked up.

Allegheny County spokeswoman Amie Downs declined to comment.

Theresa Clift is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Theresa at 412-380-5669, tclift@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tclift.