State Pays $10M to Settle Lawsuit for Wrongful Death at Illinois State Psychiatric Facility

January 21, 2026

The State of Illinois agreed to pay $10 million to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of 19-year-old Anthony Stringfellow Jr., who died by suicide at Madden Mental Health Center, a state-run psychiatric hospital. Stringfellow died in February 2023 after using a shoelace tied to a door hinge—despite his being classified as a suicide risk and ordered to receive 15-minute safety checks that a state police investigation found did not occur due to short staffing.

Read the entire story here.