Man Sues Washington Jail For Not Providing Gluten-Free Food

A Michigan man is suing a Washington state jail after staff allegedly failed to provide him gluten-free food to accommodate his celiac disease, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Gaven Picciano, 26, claims he lost about 35 pounds and was malnourished "to the point of unconsciousness" during his three-week stay at Clark County Jail. As a result, he filed a disability discrimination lawsuit against the Clark County Jail in Vancouver, Washington, as well as NaphCare Inc., the for-profit Alabama company that provides medical services at the jail, in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

Mary Vargas, one of his attorneys, said Picciano weighed about 200 pounds when he entered the jail on January 30. When he left on February 20, she claims he weighed 165 pounds. According to the lawsuit, Picciano repeatedly asked jail staff for gluten-free food. At one point, guards told him to trade the gluten-containing food with other prisoners for food he could eat, like bananas.

"After nine days with virtually no food, he became unresponsive, the lawsuit said, and guards tried to revive him using the opioid-overdose-reversal drug naloxone," AP reported. The lawsuit claims Picciano had not taken drugs or overdosed, but instead collapsed from not having food.

He treated at a hospital and diagnosed with low blood pressure, dehydration, an electrolyte imbalance and an irregular heartbeat. Doctors sent Picciano back to the jail with orders to put him on a gluten-free diet. The jail allegedly failed to do so, according to the document.

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