Two new wrongful-death lawsuits accuse a New Mexico prison of systemic problems, including covering up evidence surrounding prisoner deaths, allowing drugs to circulate in the prison and even denying urgent medical care. The prison is owned and operated by Tennessee corporation CoreCivic, one of the largest private prison corporations in the U.S. with dozens of […]
Josh Lee, nm.news
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Workplace hazards lead to penalties for Hurley municipal departments
Municipal facilities in Hurley, a town in Grant County, are facing steep penalties after workplace safety inspections uncovered hazards ranging from fire risks to unmarked electrical panels and missing chemical safety protocols. The New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Occupational Health and Safety Bureau (NM OSHA) issued the citations following Jan. 22 inspections of the Hurley […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Teen patient abused at Mesilla Valley Hospital, lawsuit claims
A mental health clinic in Las Cruces is under fire now that a lawsuit alleges a teen patient was sexually abused while attending court-ordered counseling sessions. The plaintiff in the case, an unnamed New Mexico resident, was 14 or 15 when the alleged assaults occurred between 2005 and 2006. According to the case, the teen […]
Reader-supported
Lawsuit: New Mexico patient dies after hospital ignores fall, internal bleeding
A new lawsuit against Eastern New Mexico Medical Center (ENMMC), located in Roswell, is raising questions about the hospital and its commitment to patient safety. The suit claims that a man died after he fell at the hospital and staff failed to treat his injuries. In July 2023, Phillip Pantuso, 76, was admitted to ENMMC […]
Reader-supported
Construction company blamed for shocking injury
A local construction company is facing steep fines after a serious electrical safety violation left a worker hospitalized earlier this year. According to a citation issued by the state’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau (OHSB) to Joe Boyden Construction, the incident occurred on Jan. 17 at a residential construction site in Elephant Butte. A contracted […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
State lawsuit escalates ‘forever chemical’ dispute with Air Force
The state of New Mexico is suing the U.S. Air Force over decades of toxic “forever chemicals” contamination at Cannon and Holloman Air Force Bases and for failing to take adequate responsibility for the cleanup. The lawsuit, filed in June by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the state Attorney General’s Office, marks a […]
Reader-supported
Cancer spreads after hospital fails to inform patient of diagnosis
A New Mexico man has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit alleging that a series of critical failures by his doctors and hospital staff led to a missed cancer diagnosis, irreversible harm and a drastically shortened life expectancy. Joey Gonzalez, a 54-year-old law enforcement instructor from Eddy County, is suing Roswell Hospital Corporation, doing business as […]
Reader-supported
NMED fines Utility Block Co. $41K for safety lapses
The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) recently cited an Albuquerque-based concrete masonry manufacturer for multiple serious workplace safety violations that exposed employees to potential injury or worse. According to state records, Utility Block Company Inc. was fined a total of $41,384 for the violations by NMED’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau (OHSB). In December 2024, […]
Reader-supported
New Mexico sues chemical giants over widespread ‘forever chemical’ pollution
The State of New Mexico has filed a sweeping lawsuit accusing a number of major chemical companies of knowingly polluting land, water and communities across the state with toxic “forever chemicals” linked to cancer, immune dysfunction and even reproductive harm. The lawsuit, filed in June by Attorney General Raúl Torrez and the New Mexico Environment […]
Reader-supported
Tijeras company faces fines after shrapnel exposure incident
An engineering and manufacturing company based in Tijeras is facing more than $12,000 in state fines after a workplace safety inspection uncovered multiple safety violations that exposed workers to flying shrapnel and put them in danger of being caught in moving machine parts. According to records from the New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Occupational Health […]